As part of the first “medium-term” call for tenders for the EU’s energy platform, 97.4 billion m3 of gas were offered by 17 different international suppliers, according to the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, on Wednesday 28 February.
The previous week, a total of 34 billion cubic metres of gas had been requested by 19 companies (see EUROPE 13356/10). These volumes were therefore put out to tender, and the bids received were around three times greater than demand.
Suppliers and consumers have been brought together via the AggregateEU platform. Companies will then be able to enter into bilateral contract negotiations.
“This proves once again that AggregateEU has become a dynamic market for reliable international gas buyers and suppliers, supporting the competitiveness of our industry and maintaining stable prices for our consumers”, Maroš Šefčovič was pleased to say.
Under this first “medium-term” call for tenders, buyers can submit a request for gas for several 6-month periods, up to a maximum of 5 years, from April 2024 to October 2029.
Mr Šefčovič also said that he wanted to “build on this positive experience to make joint purchases of other strategic commodities such as hydrogen and critical raw materials”.
In addition, as part of the gas package provisionally adopted in November 2023 (see EUROPE 13334/14), joint gas procurement is set to become a permanent instrument.
Other calls for tenders will follow throughout the year, in the short and medium term. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)