DTe Consults Sector on the Introduction of a Transmission System Operator (TSO) for Gas

The Office for Energy Regulation (DTe) will today publish an information and consultation document on the introduction of a system operator for the Dutch gas transmission system, or a Transmission System Operator (TSO). TenneT already fulfils the role of the TSO for the Dutch electricity grid.

Through questions posed in the information and consultation document, DTe asks market players to give their opinions on the duties of a TSO. In the document, DTe proposes giving the TSO important duties, such as the management, maintenance and supervision of the safety of the national gas transmission system. By concentrating these duties within a single organisation, the safety, reliability and efficiency of the Dutch gas transmission system will be guaranteed, according to DTe. In addition, DTe is of the opinion that the TSO should be required to promote trade in the gas sector.

Another task which DTe would like to assign to the TSO is the retrospective exchange or settlement of so-called imbalance in the gas transmission system. This task gives users of the gas transmission network the opportunity to avoid penalties. At present, a penalty is imposed on any user who feeds less gas into the network than its customers take from the network (imbalance). At the same time, a penalty is imposed on a different network user to which the opposite applies (more gas fed into the network, less gas taken by customers). According to DTe, the TSO could offset the "pluses" and "minuses" of both network users.

In the information and consultation document, DTe also indicates that it is clear that Gastransport Services (GTS), as a part of Gasunie, should fulfil the role of the TSO. After all, GTS already carries out many of the duties referred to in the consultation document.

DTe will use the responses to the consultation document in its advice to the Minister of Economic Affairs. This advice will be included in the implementation in Dutch law of European regulations in relation to the TSO. In addition, DTe wishes to use this document to provide clarity on the discussion held last summer during the evaluation of the Directives in Relation to Gas Transmission for the Year 2002 with regard to a TSO for the gas sector. As of today this document is available from the website of DTe: www.acm.nl.