French scepticism about a new gas pipeline across the Pyrenees highlights the competing visions for Europe’s future energy mix as the continent urgently confronts a power crisis. MidCat would be a third gas connection between France and Spain which its main backers, Madrid, Lisbon and more recently Berlin, say would help Europe reduce its Russian gas reliance. But French President Emmanuel Macron has bluntly told his partners he sees no case for the multi-billion euro project. France says MidCat would take too long to build to ease the looming energy crunch, be costly for France and go against ambitions to shift towards a green economy. Officials in Spain and Germany, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters they believe that France is acting to protect its own ailing nuclear industry and fend off competition from Spain as a staging post for imported gas. “Macron […]