On Tuesday, 12 April, the Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER) sent the European Commission a series of comments on its proposal to revise the gas package.
Presented by the European Commission on 15 December 2021, this initiative aims to promote renewable and low-carbon gases, including hydrogen, by revising two pieces of EU legislation: the directive (2009/73) establishing common rules for the internal market in fossil gas and the regulation (715/2009) on conditions for access to the fossil gas transmission networks (see EUROPE 12854/11).
With regard to hydrogen, the regulators recommend adopting a gradual approach to regulation in line with the evolution of the market and infrastructure, since [hydrogen] “is not yet a mature and established sector”.
In their opinion, temporary exceptions to the core market and regulatory principles could be justified, specifically where the unbundling of energy production and distribution is concerned.
The CEER document thus stresses, “Initially, lighter forms of unbundling should be allowed and could be gradually strengthened towards ownership unbundling as the hydrogen network evolves”.
At the same time, national regulatory authorities (NRAs) should, according to CEER, periodically monitor the development of the hydrogen sector in order to identify potential areas in which the regulatory framework will need to be adapted. At the European level, the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) should monitor the sector and play a role in cases where there are cross-border issues.
With regard to renewable and low-carbon gases, CEER recommends ensuring the traceability of renewable energy throughout the integrated energy system by establishing clear definitions and criteria for sustainable gases (for example, through a “Guarantee of Origin” system).
The regulators’ recommendations also focus on infrastructure network planning and improving the EU’s energy security.
See CEER’s comments: https://aeur.eu/f/19n (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)