Implementation date (1 April 2011) for new balancing regime and new market model for wholesale gas

On 15 June 2010, the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs of the Dutch parliament (Upper Chamber) sat to discuss the procedure involved in handling the bill on the “strengthening of the gas market and priority for sustainable electricity”. The Committee decided to ask the Council of State for additional recommendations on issues relating to “priority for sustainable electricity”. This will mean that the bill concerned cannot be adopted by the Upper Chamber before the summer recess.

As a result of the delay in the decision-making process in the Upper Chamber, GTS has considered the consequences this would have for the intended implementation date of the new balancing regime and the new market model for wholesale gas.
GTS saw no reason to change the implementation date of 1 April 2011.
The most important considerations are:
• the fact that the intended amendment to the law is not in dispute in the Upper Chamber as regards the “strengthening of the gas market”
• the perception that a significant proportion of the market parties is keeping to the date of 1 April 2011 in order to be ready for the implementation
• the fact that a possible delay to the implementation date brings with it the risk that the implementation costs for both GTS and the market parties will exceed the budgeted amounts set aside for these costs