By Bruno Waterfield - 24th April 2006
EU energy regulators are to pilot greater gas competition and cooperation in cross-border regions.
Ergeg - the European regulators group for electricity and gas – has unveiled a new initiative to free-up Europe’s gas sector.
The move is contribution to liberalising EU energy markets as the European commission carries out competition probes.
Security of energy supply, following January disruption to gas pipelines from Russia, will be a key aspect of the initiative.
The group, comprised of heads of national energy regulatory authorities, will set up four regional projects bringing together industry, regulators, government and consumers.
The Regional Energy Markets (REMs) will report back on progress at a Madrid forum in late autumn 2006.
Ergeg chair Sir John Mogg said the initiative would be conjunction with Brussels competition enforcement and moves to an EU energy policy.
“We are currently seeing major strategic policy from the European commission, designed to deliver a competitive liberalised single European market. Our gas regional initiative is entirely consistent with this aim,” he said.
“One area that the REMs will look at will be the operation of the gas networks in each region which are crucial to security of supply.”
“Each gas REM project will identify any barriers that prevent the development of a competitive energy market and find ways of overcoming them.”
One project will span Belgium, the UK, Netherlands, France and Ireland in a bid to offer all EU consumers a choice of gas supplier by 2007.
Closer cooperation will aim at developing cross-border infrastructure and information on gas availability, transparency over pricing or supply is seen as key to opening up markets.
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