On Tuesday 16 May, the Vice-President of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, reported on the results of the first joint gas purchasing tender through AggregateEU, the EU energy platform launched on 10 May (see EUROPE 13179/4).
“Reliable international suppliers have responded to our aggregated demand of some 11.6 billion cubic metres of gas with bids to supply a total volume of more than 13.4 billion cubic metres”, he told a handful of journalists.
A total of 25 suppliers submitted bids, exceeding the collective demand. Via the platform, the service provider Prisma matched customer demand (more than 111 registered companies) with the most attractive offers for a total volume of 10.9 billion cubic metres.
Of this volume, liquefied natural gas (LNG) accounts for more than 20% and pipeline gas for almost 80%. The bids cover 18 of the 21 ‘virtual trading points’ for pipeline gas.
Maroš Šefčovič wished to focus on the most vulnerable countries, which have had particularly positive results. “For instance, the gas deliveries requested by Bulgaria have been fully matched. In Ukraine and Moldova, 100% and 80% of the volumes requested have been matched, respectively”.
Contract negotiations will now be able to start between the participants, outside the platform, without the involvement of the European Commission.
A new call for aggregation and tendering will be launched at the end of June.
Finally, the Vice-President of the Commission indicated that he wanted to attract even more gas suppliers for future rounds: “I believe this is an opportunity for them to expand their customer base. And it is a win-win for all parties”. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)