Market demand assessment
Article 26
1. Immediately after the start of the annual yearly capacity auction at least in each odd-numbered year, transmission system operators shall cooperate in the processes of assessing market demand for incremental capacity and of conducting technical studies for incremental capacity projects for their joint interconnection points. The first demand assessment shall be conducted in 2017 as from the entry into force of this Regulation. 2. No later than 8 weeks after the start of the annual yearly capacity auction at least in each odd-numbered year, the concerned transmission system operators on each side of an entry-exit system border shall produce common market demand assessment reports, each covering all interconnection points of at least one entry-exit system border. The market assessment report shall evaluate the prospective demand for incremental capacity of all network users pursuant to paragraph 8 and shall state whether an incremental capacity project is initiated. 3. The market demand assessment report shall be published in one or more official languages of the Member State and to the extent possible in English on the websites of the concerned transmission system operators no later than 16 weeks after the start of the annual yearly capacity auction at least in each odd-numbered year. 4. ENTSOG shall coordinate and assist the completion of the demand assessment reports including by providing a standard template and publishing the reports on ENTSOG's website. 5. If demand for incremental capacity is expressed by network users no later than 8 weeks after the start of the annual yearly auction in even-numbered years, the concerned transmission system operators may agree to conduct a market demand assessment also in an even-numbered year, provided that: (a) the process set out in Articles 26-30 can be concluded before the start of the next demand assessment cycle referred to in paragraph 1; and (b) the auction calendar is respected. 6. Transmission system operators shall consider non-binding demand indications submitted no later than 8 weeks after the start of the annual yearly auction in the ongoing market demand assessment. 7. Transmission system operators may consider non-binding demand indications submitted after the deadline set out in paragraph 6 in the ongoing market demand assessment, or introduce them into the next market demand assessment. 8. The non-binding demand indications referred to in paragraphs 6 and 7 shall contain at least the following information: (a) the two or more adjacent entry-exit systems between which demand for incremental capacity — on one or both sides of an interconnection point — is expressed and the requested direction; (b) the gas year(s) for which a demand for incremental capacity is expressed; (c) the amount of capacity demanded between the respective entry-exit systems; (d) information on non-binding demand indications which were or will be submitted to other transmission system operators, in case such indications are linked to each other, such as demand for capacities at several related interconnection points; 9. Network users shall indicate whether their demand is subject to any conditions in relation to points (a) to (d) of paragraph 8. 10. Transmission system operators shall respond to non-binding demand indications within 16 weeks after the start of the annual yearly auctions, or within 8 weeks of receipt of demand indications in accordance with paragraph 7. The response shall provide at least the following: (a) whether the demand indicated can be considered by the transmission system operator in the ongoing process; or (b) whether, in the case of demand indications in accordance with paragraph 7, they are sufficient to consider the initiation of an incremental capacity process according to paragraph 5; or (c) in which market demand assessment report, according to paragraph 3, the indicated demand will be assessed, provided that the demand indicated cannot be considered under points (a) or (b), which is to be justified. 11. A transmission system operator may charge fees for activities resulting from the submission of non-binding demand indications. Such fees shall reflect the administrative costs for submitting demand indications, and shall be subject to approval by the relevant national regulatory authority and published on the transmission system operator's website. Such fees shall be reimbursed to the respective network user if the economic test for at least one offer level that includes incremental capacity at the respective interconnection point is positive. 12. The market demand assessment report shall take into account all of the following criteria: (a) whether the Union-wide 10-year network development plan identifies a physical capacity gap whereby a specific region is undersupplied in a reasonable peak scenario and where offering incremental capacity at the interconnection point in question could close the gap; or a national network development plan identifies a concrete and sustained physical transport requirement; (b) whether no yearly standard capacity product linking two adjacent entry-exit systems is available in the annual yearly capacity auction for the year in which incremental capacity could be offered for the first time and in the 3 subsequent years, because all the capacity has been contracted; (c) whether network users submitted non-binding demand indications requesting incremental capacity for a sustained number of years and all other economically efficient means for maximising the availability of existing capacity are exhausted. 13. The market demand assessment report shall include at least the following: (a) a conclusion on whether to initiate an incremental capacity project; (b) the aggregated non-binding demand indications received no later than 8 weeks after the start of the annual yearly capacity auction in the year of the publication of the respective demand assessment report; (c) the aggregated non-binding demand indications submitted after the deadline referred to in paragraph 6 during the previous incremental capacity process in case these demand indications were not considered for the previous demand assessment; (d) the aggregated non-binding demand indications submitted in accordance with paragraph 7 where the transmission system operators has decide to consider them in the ongoing market demand assessment; (e) an assessment of the expected amount, direction and duration of demand for incremental capacity at the interconnection points with each adjacent entry-exit system or interconnectors; (f) a conclusion on whether technical studies for incremental capacity projects will be conducted, specifying for which interconnection points and for which expected demand level; (g) provisional timelines for the incremental capacity project, technical studies and the consultation referred to in Article 27(3); (h) a conclusion on what fees, if any, will be introduced, according to paragraph 10; (i) the types and, where available the aggregated size of conditional demand indications according to point paragraph 9; (j) how transmission system operators intend to apply Article 11(3) with regards to limitation of the number of years being offered in the annual yearly capacity auctions during the incremental process. 14. Transmission system operators and the relevant national regulatory authorities shall publish respective points of contact for incremental capacity projects initiated at the publication of the market demand assessment report and update this information on a regular basis throughout the project.