Natural gas suppliers will be obliged, as last resort, to store certain gas reserves in the neighboring country.
According to the draft law, which the Parliament adopted in the first reading, the Natural Gas Law will be supplemented with a new article, which stipulates that the ANRE-appointed natural gas suppliers, as last resort, are obliged to ensure storage of natural gas in the neighboring country. The stored gas volumes should be sufficient to ensure natural gas consumption for two winter months. The quantity of natural gas to be stored and the breakdown of storage over time shall be determined by ANRE. If more than one supplier of last resort is assigned, the quantity to be stored is divided in proportion to the market shares of the respective suppliers. If the natural gas supplier has not stored the quantity to be stored, by August 31 of each year, ANRE is entitled to penalize the supplier with 20% of the value of the gas not purchased at the average purchase price of natural gas for the previous year. The storage costs and justified bank costs for the purchase of the stored gas shall be taken into account in establishing the regulated prices of the respective supplier, on the basis of supporting documents, on the date of submission of these costs to ANRE. It is stipulated that the supplier may use the stored stocks as a last resort, but with a stable and guaranteed gas purchase contract for at least 6 months of consumption. At the same time, the amount of stored natural gas may be fully or partially used by decision of the Emergency Commission. It is worth noting that the current version of the Natural Gas Law provides for a separate article "Last Resort Supplies", according to which ANRE may impose on one or more gas suppliers the obligation to provide a public emergency supply service to provide gas to consumers who lose their supplier due to certain circumstances (termination of activity, suspension or withdrawal of the license issued to the supplier, supplier unable to provide natural gas supply). // 08.04.2022 - InfoMarket
