Energy Regulatory Office Gas market: URE starts consultation on the relevant points of the transmission system - News -

The objective is to remove the Vysokoye and Tietierovka points from the list of the relevant points of the National Transmission System, as well as the Kondratki point from the list of relevant points of the Transit Gas Pipeline System (TGPS).

The development of capabilities for gas supply to Poland from new directions, through the construction of interconnections with Denmark, Slovakia and Lithuania, as well as the expansion of the LNG Terminal in Świnoujście, ensure the technical feasibility of securing gas supplies to Poland, without the need to maintain the deliveries from the eastern direction (from Belarus).

Furthermore, the results of the annual auctions over a multi-year horizon at the points to be removed from the list indicate that there is no market interest in gas supply from this direction.

Also, the plans to make the European Union independent from Russian fossil fuels announced by the European Commission in the REPowerEU plan, which was unveiled on 18 May 2022 make the use of these points for natural gas transmission questionable, in the long term horizon. The plan envisages a series of measures to significantly reduce EU Member States’ dependence on natural gas from the Russian Federation by 2030.

The regulator is waiting until 13 March 2023 to receive comments on GAZ-SYSTEM’s updated list of relevant points of the National Transmission System and the Polish section of the Yamal-Western Europe Transit Gas Pipeline System.

In accordance with the European Parliament's regulation[1], each transmission system operator is required to make public, with regard to the services provided, information on technical, contracted and available capacities on a numerical basis for all relevant points including entry and exit points, on a regular and rolling basis and in a user-friendly and standardised manner.

The relevant points of a transmission system[2] on which the information is to be made public shall be approved by the national competent authorities after consultation with network users. Accordingly, the President of URE requests interested system users to review the attached documents containing the updated list of points, and to send comments and proposals in writing to:

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Relevant points – what are they? The definition can be found in point 3.2. of Annex I to Regulation 715/2009. The relevant points of the transmission system include at least:

1. all entry and exit points to and from a transmission network operated by a transmission system operator, with the exception of exit points connected to a single final customer, and with the exception of entry points linked directly to a production facility of a single producer that is located within the EU;
2. all entry and exit points connecting balancing zones of transmission system operators;
3. all points connecting the network of a transmission system operator with an LNG terminal, physical gas hubs, storage and production facilities, unless these production facilities are exempted under (a);
4. all points connecting the network of a given transmission system operator to infrastructure necessary for providing ancillary services as defined by Article 2(14) of Directive 2009/73/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in natural gas and repealing Directive 2003/55/EC (OJ L 176 of 15 July 2009).

Information to be published (point 3.3. of Annex I to Regulation 715/2009) and the publication rules.

For all relevant points, transmission system operators are required to publish the information listed in paragraphs (a) to (g) below, concerning the services and ancillary services they provide (in particular, information on blending, ballasting and conversion). This information shall be published on a numerical basis, in daily or hourly periods, equal to the smallest reference period for capacity booking and (re-)nomination and the smallest settlement period for which imbalance charges are calculated. If the smallest reference period is different from a daily period, information as listed in paragraphs (a) to (g) are made available also for the daily period. This information and updates are published as soon as available to the system operator (“near real time”)

(a) the technical capacity for flows in both directions;
(b) the total contracted firm and interruptible capacity in both directions;
(c) the nominations and re-nominations in both directions;
(d) the available firm and interruptible capacity in both directions;
(e) actual physical flows;
(f) planned and actual interruption of interruptible capacity;
(g) planned and unplanned interruptions to firm services as well as the information on restoration of the firm services (in particular, maintenance of the system and the likely duration of any interruption due to maintenance).  Planned interruptions shall be published at least 42 days in advance.
(h) occurrence of unsuccessful, legally valid requests for firm capacity products with a duration of one month or longer including the number and volume of the unsuccessful requests; and
(i) in the case of auctions, where and when firm capacity products with a duration of one month or longer have cleared at prices higher than the reserve price;
(j) where and when no firm capacity product with a duration of one month or longer has been offered in the regular allocation process;
(k) the total capacity made available through the congestion management procedures described in points 2.2.2, 2.2.3, 2.2.4 and 2.2.5 of Annex I to Regulation 715/2009 with a breakdown per congestion management procedure.

For all relevant points, the information under paragraphs (a), (b) and (d) are published for a period of at least 24 months ahead.

For all relevant points, transmission system operators publish historical information on the requirements of paragraphs (a) to (g) for the past five years on a rolling basis.

Transmission system operators publish measured values of the gross calorific value or the Wobbe index at all relevant points, on a daily basis. Preliminary figures are published at the latest 3 days following the respective gas day. Final figures are published within 3 months after the end of the respective month.

For all relevant points, transmission system operators publish available capacities, booked and technical capacities, on an annual basis over all years where capacity is contracted plus 1 year, and at least for the next 10 years. This information is to be updated at least every month or more frequently, if new information becomes available. The publication must reflect the period for which capacity is offered to the market.