Provisions regarding capacity release at national gas transmission grid interconnection points with other countries 555/2015/R/gas

November 23, 2015

Italian version

With resolution 555/2015/R/gas, the Italian Regulatory Authority for Electricity Gas and Water updates the provisions in place regarding capacity release at gas transmission grid interconnection points to other countries, so as to harmonize the capacity allocation management processes between interconnected transmission systems.
In transposition of EU legislation on management of contractual congestion at interconnection points with other countries (CMP Regulation[1]), with resolution 411/2013/R/gas the Regulatory Authority has already introduced, inter alia, the possibility of having users make their firm capacity available for allocation to third parties, scheduling the necessary additions for the management of bundled[2] capacity products as a subsequent provision to be made with prior coordination with the Regulatory Authorities of the bordering countries.

Following said coordination activities and in compliance with the CMP guidance published by the Commission[3], with the resolution 555/2015/R/GAS the Regulatory Authority approves the operating procedures suitable to facilitating the release and reallocation of the so-called cross border bundled capacity products, allowing the user to totally or partially revoke availability of its capacity at any time, as long as this is done outside the time period during which said capacity is undergoing allocation procedures. Said time period must be established between the time when the user releases the capacity and the end of the allocation procedure.
In accordance with said provision, it is also established that when the capacity has been made available by multiple users and the overall capacity is not completely allocated to third parties, the main transmission company should identify the part of capacity released by each user based on the chronological order of release.
Said provisions shall be transposed into the transmission code of Snam Rete Gas, which shall prepare an updated proposal to be notified to the Regulatory Authority by 15 January 2016; pending said adaptation of the code, the Regulatory Authority has determined that at the end of each transfer process Snam Rete Gas shall allow users that requested it expressly and in due time, to have at their disposal the whole capacity initially made available, net of any part of capacity that has been allocated.


This sheet is for disclosure purposes only; it is not a measure.

[1] Annex I of the Regulation (EC) no. 715/2009 on Congestion management procedures (CMP).
[2] Bundled capacity products allow one to obtain the capacity to transit directly from one system to another without having to acquire the capacity exiting a system and the one entering the bordering system.
[3] 11 July 2014.