Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called for European Union funding for gas interconnections with the rest of Europe, stating new infrastructure should also comprise green gases, El Diario reports.

Although Europe’s economy is already being impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in the form of surging energy prices, Spain’s government insists it will be one of the least affected by the crisis due to its LNG terminal network. In addition, the country is willing to enable interconnections with other nations to permit deliveries out of Spain.

Yet the PM said the costs of the infrastructure should stem from EU funding.

“The debate on interconnections is not a problem for Spain, it is a problem for other countries,” Sánchez said to journalists.

He went on to add that he supports the notion that the new infrastructure should be designed for “green gas and hydrogen and financed by European budgets”.

Spanish people are “already paying for regasification facilities. The price for the regasification is paid by us, the consumers. If we wish to offer Europe our reserve capacities, which are above 60% while the EU’s is at 30%, it is not Spain but Europe that has to fund it,” he continued.

As it stands, Spain has the biggest network of regasification plants in Europe. These are crucial during the energy crisis due to their capacity to unload liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments.

Although the EC supports Spain becoming a key European gas hub, plans for the gas pipeline to link Spain’s and France’s gas grid through the Pyrenees – the so-called Midcat project – was rebuffed by energy regulators.

However, Sánchez wants this project to be completed using EU funding, adding that the Ukraine crisis should serve to boost the European Union’s energy independence.