Spain to cap gas price hikes as winter looms

The Spanish government plans to limit natural gas price increases to 15 percent to shield consumers from spiraling energy prices due to the Mideast war, Ecological Transition Minister Sara Aagesen said Tuesday.

The price of butane tanks, used by many households for cooking and heating, will also be capped at 19.55 euros, Aagesen told journalists as she arrived in Dublin for a meeting of EU energy ministers to prepare for the coming winter. The government had already approved last March a package of around 80 measures to limit the impact, for a total cost of five billion euros, which helped 20 million households and three million businesses.