Gas consumption in Spain, 1935-1961

Abstract

The years 1935-1961 are a period of crisis, adaptation and transformation of the gas industry in Spain. The Civil War, the autarkic policy and technological obsolescence affected production, forcing the closure of many factories. In 1958, a new competitor merged the gas manufactured with coal, butane gas, which was cheap and more versatile. In the mid-sixties, gas made from petroleum naphtha began to replace the traditional one. The aim of the article is to study the impact of this context on gas consumption. The starting point is the situation before the Civil War; the end point, the moment before the take-off of production with naphtha, and with disaggregated data available (now with a certain relevance of butane gas), which allows its impact on the manufactured gas to be assessed. An analytical methodology will be applied, studying consumption at several geographical scales: local (by population size), regional and national, in different chronological sections and throughout the whole time series. An attempt will be made to explain the variations over time and the differences between different spaces. Finally, an international comparison will be carried out, in significant moments, with other countries in Latin Europe, in order to compare whether there was a peculiarity in the Spanish case and its causes. For this, sources such as the Datos estadísticos técnicos de la industria del gas and Les Statistiques Européennes de l’Industrie du Gaz will be used.