Market parties

Market parties

The number of parties on the Dutch market has grown substantially over the past few years. These parties can play one or several ´roles´. From the point of view of GTS, a ´supplier´ is also a ´shipper´ as soon as he concludes a transport contract with GTS.

Below the most important roles are described.

Shipper

  • a company that uses the national gas transmission grid to have gas transported based on a transport contract with GTS.

Connected Party (End user)

  • the actual user of the gas. A distinction is made between residential consumers (households and small businesses) and bulk consumers (businesses, industries). The switchpoint between these two groups is an annual consumption of 170,000 m3.

Supplier

  • a company that supplies gas to end users and needs transport capacity to do this.

Producer

  • a company that extracts gas.

Gas exchange operator

  • a company that operates a gas exchange on the Dutch gas market. The State of the Netherlands has currently appointed APX Gas NL B.V. as the operator of a gas exchange on the TTF.

Transmission system operator (TSO)

  • the operator of the national gas transmission grid. By virtue of the Gas Act, Gas Transport Services B.V. has been appointed Dutch transmission system operator. The national transmission grid is owned by N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie.

Local distribution company (LDC)

  • the operator of a regional distribution network.

Neighbouring Network Operator (NNO)

  • the operator of an adjacent grid, including a foreign transmission system operator and producer.