Spain Orders Temporary Suspension at Castor UGS Project

The Spanish government has halted the activity at the Castor underground gas storage plant, ordering the operator to cease carrying out any gas injection or extraction work at the facility meant to cover 30% of Spain’s daily gas consumption.

The Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism communicated the temporary halt to Escal UGS, the company holding the licence to operate the plant off the coast de Vinaros (Valencia). The decision was taken after the Geographic institute detected 220 tremors.

“The Ministry of Industry has asked the National Geographic Institute for detailed information on the latest seismic movements,” reads a note released on Thursday by the Ministry.

The plant, developed by Spain’s ACS and Dundee Energy of Canada, was at the phase of injecting the “cushion gas” necessary to provide the pressurization to extract remaining gas from a storage facility.

The Ministry wants to investigate whether there were any relations between the tremors and the operations.