21.9.2020

ACER and ENTSOG consult on their recommendations to mitigate misconduct in EU gas balancing markets

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​The European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) and the European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSOG) launch today a four-week public consultation on their joint recommendations to mitigate potential misconduct in EU gas balancing markets. The public consultation ends on 19 October. 

This set of joint recommendations is proposed following discussions with Transmission System Operators (TSOs), National Regulatory Authorities for Energy (NRAs) and the so-called Market Area Managers (MAMs), entities responsible to keep the transmission system in balance in some EU Member States. 

In recent years, some of these companies and TSOs have reported cases of certain network users creating substantial imbalances in the respective gas balancing zones, for which payments from the network users were not forthcoming. This was despite their legal payment obligation to do so and such outstanding payments being pursued by the relevant TSOs and MAMs. This has resulted in incurred costs to the balancing markets and the gas system in general, since the aggregated costs were ultimately borne by all network users in the affected balancing zones. 
The recommendations aim to improve national frameworks through the sharing of good practices amongst TSOs, MAMs and NRAs and to increase cross-border collaboration and sharing of information through legislative amendments. 
Stakeholders are invited to provide comments on the various measures that are detailed in the consultation paper. 
Access the consultation.