Blackout fears amid energy crunch boosts gas cookers, lantern sales in Spain

A customer looks at a camping stove at a hardware store in Madrid, Spain, November 8, 2021. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

MADRID (Reuters) - Camping gear such as gas cookers and lanterns are flying off the shelves of hardware stores in Spain as people fearing energy shortages and potential blackouts prepare for the winter.

Despite government assurances that there will be no supply crunch, a surge in electricity prices, partly driven by shortages in Asia and Europe, and a switch in pipelines bringing gas from Algeria have fuelled the public's concerns.