Press releases

ONTRAS Gastransport GmbH puts out load flow commitments for the individual months of February and March 2021. The call for tender will run from 10:00 am on 15 June 2020 to 10:00 am on 13 July 2020. Positive load flow commitments will be put out for tender for the following points: VIP Brandov-GASPOOL, GCP GAZ-SYSTEM/ONTRAS, Speicher Rüdersdorf, UGS Kraak, UGS Peckensen, UGS Staßfurt and VGS Storage Hub, whereby points in downstream ONTRAS networks will be included in order to facilitate more flexible supply and encourage competition. Please refer to the tender data sheet for the respective month for details.

Background: ONTRAS requires load flow commitments to operate its network within the GASPOOL market area. ONTRAS is therefore reacting to experience gained last winter which indicated that usage behaviour by transport customers at border and market transfer points and stores is fundamentally changing. ONTRAS is therefore conducting a tender process in line with decision BK9-14/606 by the Federal Network Agency (KOLA). Load flow commitments are contractual agreements between third parties and network operators such as ONTRAS which safeguard certain gas flows at one or more entry or exit points. They serve towards increasing the range of freely allocable entry and exit capacities to a sufficient level.

Accordingly, ONTRAS is implementing its obligation according to § 9 GasNZV to offer appropriate capacities taking consideration of current and projected capacity utilisation and demand as well as probable load flows. Furthermore, load flow commitments aim to help to avoid intervention as per § 16, section 2 EnWG in order to maintain the safety and reliability of the gas supply system.

Initial information on the call for tender is available online.

ONTRAS is also analysing the long-term effects of changed usage behaviour and examining the possible measures for countering it.