Following the publication of the consultation document “ERGEGs principles: Capacity allocation and congestion management in the natural gas transmission network”, ERGEG organised a stakeholder workshop on 18th February 2009 in Brussels to discuss the principles set out in the consultation document. . This workshop was attended by about 100 representatives of the European gas industry: shippers, traders, customers and consumers, gas producers, various associations, TSOs, and regulators.

Initial reactions and discussions
Based on the assessment that the current access to transmission capacity across Europe is unsatisfactory, ERGEG presented its proposals to bring about changes to the existing capacity allocation and congestion management regimes.

The principles underlying these proposals are: security of access to capacity and flexibility. ERGEG accordingly proposes a full range of capacity products and procedures to satisfy the needs of shippers.
The European Commission (DG TREN), GTE+, EFET, Gaselys, RWE Trading and Supply, and GEODE presented their initial reactions to this document.

Overall, participants welcomed ERGEG’s determination and the proposed principles on capacity allocation and congestion management as a move in the right direction to bring about necessary changes to the existing regimes.

The workshop presentations are available below.

Way forward
Stakeholders are invited to respond to ERGEG’s public consultation document.  The closing date for comments is the 20th March 2008. All comments received will be fully considered.
Upon conclusion of the consultation, a detailed synthesis of the consultation, reflecting all views expressed, will be published.

The final version of ERGEG’s principles on CAM and CMP, which will be published in Summer 2009, will take these views into account.  ERGEG may also issue recommendations to the European Commission to amend the current Guidelines for capacity allocation and congestion management annexed to Regulation 1775/2005, based on the final principles.