ACER supports certification of the first European hydrogen transmission network operator
What is it about?
ACER published its Opinion on the draft decision of the Polish national regulatory authority (URE) certifying GAZ-SYSTEM as a hydrogen transmission network operator.
This is the first case of a hydrogen transmission network operator seeking certification under the Hydrogen and Gas Decarbonisation Package.
According to the Regulation, hydrogen transmission network operators must be certified by national regulatory authorities before they can operate. Before being certified, the European Commission assesses compliance with EU ownership unbundling rules. These require operators to be independent from energy producers and suppliers across sectors to foster fair competition.
In this case, the European Commission requested ACER to provide an opinion on the draft decision by the Polish national regulator to support its final assessment.
What does ACER say?
Overall, ACER agrees with the assessment that GAZ-SYSTEM meets the requirements for national certification. However, it notes that URE should closely monitor GAZ-SYSTEM’s independence from other energy actors and ensure that financial accounts are separated between operations. Having separated accounts ensures clear regulatory economic oversight of the operator and that tariffs accurately reflect the specific costs of operating the gas and hydrogen networks independently, preventing pricing distortions.
Throughout the process, ACER has cooperated with URE and collected its input before adopting the Opinion.
What are the next steps?
The European Commission should issue its Opinion by 6 April 2026, taking into consideration ACER’s assessment.