In accordance with the objectives of Regulation (EU) 2022/1032 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 June 2022 amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1938 and Regulation (EC) 715/2009 on natural gas storage, Bulgatransgaz EAD decided to take measures to provide incentives for use of Chiren UGS, in order to achieve a higher level of filling and thus improve the security of gas supplies in the winter of 2022-2023.
Upon Bulgatransgaz EAD proposal and following Decision No. M-1/21.06.2022 of the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission, a market measure was taken to stimulate natural gas storage, by setting zero access prices for the entry and exit points from/to the gas storage for gas year 2022/2023, as of 01.10.2022.
Regarding the above, we inform the current and potential participants on the gas market in Bulgaria that as of 01.10.2022, auctions for transmission capacity to entry-exit point Chiren UGS will no longer be conducted, and the entry capacity will be allocated based on the allocated withdrawal capacity, and the exit capacity will be allocated based on the allocated injection capacity.
In addition, in order to achieve a higher level of filling of Chiren UGS during the injection period and to improve the usability of the available storage capacity, as of 18.08.2022, four additional storage capacity auctions shall be added within the current gas month together with the existing auctions for storage capacity conducted on the Regional Booking Platform (RBP) prior to the storage month.
Additional auctions will be held every Thursday of the current gas month for which they are intended, at the monthly storage capacity price. For August, auctions will be held on 18.08.2022 and 25.08.2022, of 2 (two) hours duration starting at 1:00 p.m.