London (Platts)--16Feb2011/614 am EST/1114 GMT
European gas transmission networks are already well integrated, but they need regulatory stability if they are to evolve to meet market needs, Andrea Cirlicova, senior adviser for the European network of transmission system operators for gas, told the gas markets summit in London Tuesday. "EU gas transmission networks are already well integrated and will further develop in step with how supply and demand develop," she said. "However, due to long lead times for infrastructure development and differences between regional regimes, market integration may lag the immediate market needs," she added. She said the most important way to ensure incentives were in place for infrastructure investment was to have stable and reliable regulatory regimes.Request a free trial of: EU EnergyEU Energy, published twice-monthly, provides a single source for news and analysis of EU energy policy and key gas and electricity industry developments in the EU member states. "This has not been the case in the past, and is not the case today," she said. Cirlicova said the current rules in the gas market needed to be implemented before new ones were developed. Some member states have yet to implement parts of the EC's second package of reforms, adopted in 2003, aimed at liberalizing gas and power markets. Meanwhile, the third package of reforms that requires ownership unbundling of grids and sets up new regulatory oversight body ACER as well as ENTSOG and its electricity counterpart ENTS0-E comes into force on March 3. But on Tuesday the EC started a new consultation on how to free up gas capacity at borders, including proposals that would withdraw capacity booked by incumbents. "Is the European Commission trying to avoid lengthy infringement proceedings by bringing out new rules?" Cirlicova asked rhetorically. Cirlicova was speaking ahead of the official publication on Thursday of ENTSOG's 10-year gas network development plan for 2011-20. She said that the plan tests supply and demand modeling to examine network resilience looking at both everyday and exceptional situations. The plan looks at infrastructure development needs across the EU and identifies infrastructure gaps and concrete investment projects, Cirlicova said. --Rachel Morison, rachel_morison@platts.com
European gas transmission networks are already well integrated, but they need regulatory stability if they are to evolve to meet market needs, Andrea Cirlicova, senior adviser for the European network of transmission system operators for gas, told the gas markets summit in London Tuesday. "EU gas transmission networks are already well integrated and will further develop in step with how supply and demand develop," she said. "However, due to long lead times for infrastructure development and differences between regional regimes, market integration may lag the immediate market needs," she added. She said the most important way to ensure incentives were in place for infrastructure investment was to have stable and reliable regulatory regimes.
EU Energy, published twice-monthly, provides a single source for news and analysis of EU energy policy and key gas and electricity industry developments in the EU member states.