Ukraine leads implementation of EU gas data rules

Ukrainian gas transmission system operator GTSOU is leading the implementation of network rules on data exchange and publication by non-EU parties, with a number of central and eastern European operators lagging behind, according to a report published by the EU-led Energy Community.

The survey covered 20 interconnection points operated by non-EU contracting parties — Ukraine, Serbia, Moldova, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Georgia. Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro have no gas market, and while Georgia is a contracting party, it is exempt from EU cross-border gas rules.

Fourteen of the points are already covered by interconnection agreements. GTSOU has signed three agreements covering seven of the points in the past year. The deals cover the country's borders with Slovakia, Poland and Moldova.

But GTSOU and Romanian system operator Transgaz still need to conclude a number of outstanding interconnection agreements covering their shared border, the Energy Community said.

Agreements are needed for the Isaccea 2 and 3 border points, as well as for Tekovo-Mediesu Aurit, it said. An interconnection agreement is also needed for the Moldovan-Romanian border at Ungheni and the North Macedonian-Bulgarian border at Zdilovo, it said.

And a number of the non-EU contracting parties still have to fully transpose the network code on interoperability and data exchange. National regulators need to take responsibility for supervising implementation of these EU rules, the Energy Community said.

All of Ukraine's interconnection agreements include rules ensuring "controllable, accurate, predictable and efficient" gas flows across interconnection points, as well as rules for transporting supply across interconnection points and minimising deviations stemming from the matching process, the community said. The deals also cover gas quantity and quality rules.

But Serbian state-owned Srbijagas still has to agree on data exchange and matching rules with neighbouring operators.

And compliance with rules on data exchange and publication is low by all of the operators surveyed, with the exception of GTSOU. This is mainly caused by a lack of consultation with network users on data exchange solutions, and because selected solutions have not been approved by national regulators, as required by EU regulation, the community said.

The procedures for informing network users of short-term gas quality variations and short-term quality monitoring should also be improved, it said.

By Jacob Mandel