Source: Energy & Management Powernews, September 19, 2022
The transmission system operators have adjusted their scenario framework for the NEP Gas 2022-2032 due to the gas shortage. Now the network users can respond to it.
A three-week consultation of the Network Development Plan (NEP) Gas 2022 to 2032 is now on the agenda. The NEP Gas was supplemented by a scenario framework with more liquefied natural gas and hydrogen. The consultation starts on September 26 and ends on October 16, according to the responsible network association FNB Gas. In May, the 16 German transmission system operators informed that the publication of the network development plan (NEP) gas 2022-2032 is postponed or only an interim status is published.
In the network development plan, the transmission system operators give an overview of what is needed in the next ten years of measures to ensure the supply of gas in Germany. The NEP Gas 2022-2032 to be submitted by law was already prepared last year, but the plans contained therein were thrown overboard by the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine and the accompanying effects on gas supplies.
The transmission system operators therefore submitted only an interim report in May, amended the NEP Gas 2022-2032 and made an expansion, primarily to include liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen. Three modeling variants, called LNG plus, "for the complete replacement of Russian natural gas volumes with LNG and hydrogen, as well as an adjustment of the demand forecasts" are presented.
Communicate plans for LNG supply and LNG construction by Sept. 30
As it says, the transmission system operators have "calculated additional LNG supply security variants" in consultation with the Federal Network Agency. This is to allow for a diversification of supply sources by LNG for a partial replacement of Russian natural gas volumes and to take into account the changed load flows in a first step.
The transmission system operators further inform that requests for capacity reservations and capacity expansion claims for LNG facilities have already been submitted by 30. September at their transmission system operator must be present, in order to be considered in the supplemented scenario framework to the NEP gas 2022-2032.
However, the authors also point out that the NEP is not a crisis plan. "In principle, the NEP Gas is not designed to provide short-term answers to current events, but rather represents a medium- to long-term perspective of network development planning." Nevertheless, he said, an attempt had been made to provide initial answers in view of the current crisis.
The "Interim status NEP Gas 2022-2023" can be downloaded from the FNB Gas website. Further materials on the network development plan can also be found there.
Author: Stefan Sagmeister
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