Office of Gas and Electricity Markets
Third Party Access arrangements for gas storage facilities November 2010
Table of Contents
Summary ........................................................................................... 1
Key features of the guidance .......................................................................... 1
Next steps ................................................................................................... 2
1. Introduction .................................................................................. 3
Context and purpose of this document ............................................................. 3
Existing legislation for gas storage services ...................................................... 5
Changes resulting from the Third Package........................................................ 6
Structure of this document ............................................................................. 8
2. Overall approach to guidance ........................................................ 9
Approach to developing guidance .................................................................... 9
Approach to monitoring and enforcement ......................................................... 9
3. Access to gas storage and market power .................................... 12
Gas storage and the market for flexibility ....................................................... 12
What is significant market power in relation to gas storage? ............................. 13
Proposed approach for the assessment of Significant Market Power ................... 14
4. Capacity allocation and congestion management procedures ...... 18
Defining the maximum capacity .................................................................... 19
The maximum storage capacity ................................................................. 20
Multiple facilities ...................................................................................... 22
Allocation mechanisms - primary market ....................................................... 23
Choice of allocation mechanism ................................................................. 24
Setting reserve prices .............................................................................. 27
Congestion management procedures ............................................................. 29
Anti hoarding arrangements ...................................................................... 29
Secondary markets .................................................................................. 31
5. Main commercial conditions and service specification ................. 33
Consulting the market ................................................................................. 33
Offering a mix of services ............................................................................ 37
Determining the mix of services ................................................................ 38
Contract length ....................................................................................... 39
Other service specification requirements .................................................... 41
6. Transactions with related undertakings ...................................... 42
Unbundling requirements ............................................................................. 43
Confidentiality requirements ......................................................................... 44
Transactions with related undertakings .......................................................... 45
Capacity purchased by related undertakings in the primary market ................ 47
7. Transparency and information sharing arrangements ................. 49
Publishing information on access ................................................................... 49
Publishing information on capacity allocation .................................................. 50
Publishing information on capacity allocation - all facilities ............................... 51
8. Conclusions and next steps ......................................................... 53
Next steps ................................................................................................. 56
Appendices ...................................................................................... 57
Appendix 1 – Consultation Response and Questions........................ 58
Appendix 2 – Framework for assessing pivotality ............................ 61
Appendix 3 – The Authority’s Powers and Duties ............................ 63