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BEMIP Gas Regional Investment Plan 2017 |
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2.2 Market Players
The BEMIP region has, in all, seven Transmission
System Operators (TSOs) that own natural gas grids in
their respective countries: Energinet.dk in Denmark,
Gasum Oy in Finland, Swedegas in Sweden, Elering in
Estonia, AS Conexus Baltic Grid in Latvia, AB Amber
Grid in Lithuania and GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. in Poland. En-
erginet.dkand Elering own both electricity and gas grids
in the respective countries.
The majority of TSOs in the BEMIP region operate as ownership-unbundled TSOs,
except Gasum Oy. On 2 January 2017, a new company (JSC Conexus Baltic Grid)
commenced operations as a Latvian TSO, and this was established through the
unbundling from AS Latvijas Gaze. JSC Conexus Baltic Grid includes the transmis-
sion and storage of natural gas. The energy law in Latvia stipulates that the TSO must
be unbounded from the DSO and the DSO from sales by 31 December 2017. The
energy law of Latvia also states that, as of 3 April 2017, the natural gas market of
Latvia must be fully opened. This will allow other entities to trade and sell natural
gas. Households will have the opportunity to choose to either stay as a related user
or continue to purchase natural gas for regulated tariffs.
Gasum Oy is a vertically integrated company acting as a wholesaler of gas in addition
to its TSO activities. The unbundling of Gasum Oy will be performed when the right
to derogate from it expires. At the same time, GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. is an unbundled
operator of the transmission system in Poland and additionally performs the function
of an independent system operator on the Polish section of the Yamal-Europe
pipeline.
Over 50 distribution companies operate in the BEMIP region. In Poland, the leading
DSO is Polska Spółka Gazownictwa sp. z o.o., in Estonia – AS Gaa-sivõrgud and in
Lithuania – AB Energijos Skirstymo Operatorius. In Denmark, the distribution system
network is divided into six distribution areas covered by four distribution companies:
HMN Naturgas, Nature Energy Distribution, Gasforsyningen Aalborg and Danish
Gas Distribution (owned Energinet.dk). In Sweden, five distribution areas are owned
and operated by
E.ONGas Sverige, Göteborgs Energi Gasnät, Kraftringen nät,
Varberg Energi and Öresundskraft.
The structure of supply chain of natural gas and the number of players in it differs
by countries. In 2016, approximately 20 supply companies and 25 transport
shippers operated in Denmark; licenses to import natural gas were held by three
companies in Estonia and by nearly 10 companies in Lithuania. In Poland there
were over 100 shippers, with the oil and gas company PGNiG being the major player
engaged in import and production of natural gas; nine suppliers of natural gas
operated in Sweden’s gas market.
Since 2014, the BEMIP’s region’s access to liquefied natural gas (LNG) market has
been enhanced. Lithuania, Poland and Finland commissioned new LNG terminals:
in December 2014, a terminal was launched in Lithuania (by AB Klaipėdos Nafta);
in June 2016, a terminal was launched in Poland (by Polskie LNG S.A., a subsidi-
ary of GAZ-SYSTEM S.A.), and in September 2016, Pori LNG import terminal was
put into operation in Finland (by Skangas Ltd.). Direct access to regasification
capacities in the region will further improve in the upcoming years as GAZ-SYSTEM
made an investment decision in April 2017 to upgrade the terminal in Świnoujście
from the existing 5bcm/y to 7.5bcm/y.