Infraestructuras de red en la industria petrolera española

The modernisation of the Spanish system of petroleum product distribution has made it one of the most efficient networks in the EU. It is based on boosting transportation by oil pipeline. The network of pipelines is owned by Compañía Logística de Hidrocarburos (CLH), which holds a quasi-monopolistic position in ex-refinery storage. The major oil operators, i.e. the refineries, own and control the running of CLH. This article discusses the reasons why a single network of oil pipelines has been set up for the whole of Spain, and the consequences for competition of its control by the refineries. Although improvements have been achieved over the years in regulating the activities of CLH, there are still regulatory uncertainties and a lack of transparency. Finally, a series of measures is proposed which we believe could help solve these problems and, in general, to extend the reach of regulation.