According to the Balancing Rules network users are to bear the responsibility of balancing their inputs against their off-takes. The transmission system operators carry out any residual balancing of the transmission networks that might be necessary. For that, the transmission system operator shall undertake balancing actions in order to maintain the transmission network within its operational limits and to achieve an end of day linepack position in the transmission network different from the one anticipated on the basis of expected inputs and off-takes for that gas day, consistent with economic and efficient operation of the transmission network. While undertaking balancing actions the transmission system operator shall consider estimates of demand of gas over and within the gas day, nomination and allocation information, measured gas flows, gas pressures throughout the transmission network. The transmission system operator shall undertake balancing actions through purchase and sale of short term standardised products on a trading platform and/or the use of balancing services. The transmission system operator is entitled to procure balancing services for those situations in which short term standardised products will not or are not likely to provide the response necessary to keep the transmission network within its operational limits or in the absence of liquidity of trade in short term standardised products. The transmission system operator may seek approval from the national regulatory authority to trade within an adjacent balancing zone, and have the gas transported to and from this balancing zone, as an alternative to trading title products and/or locational products in its own balancing zone.
If the network user fails to balance the amount of gas, the transmission system operator shall sell to it balancing gas if a network user has caused shortage of gas in the transmission system or shall buy from it balancing gas if a network user caused the surplus of gas in the transmission system.
For gas transmission system balancing purposes, the Transmission System Operator buys and/or sells natural gas either on a gas exchange or, alternatively, through the use of balancing services. Preference is given to the trading on the natural gas exchange in short-term standardized within-day products. AB Amber Grid’s Procedure for the Trading in Natural Gas for Balancing Purposes can be downloaded from here.
