Regulation (EC) No 715/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 on conditions for access to the natural gas transmission networks and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1775/2005 (Text with EEA relevance) (c. 715)

Article 17 U.K. Principles of capacity-allocation mechanisms and congestion-management procedures concerning storage and LNG facilities

1. The maximum storage and LNG facility capacity shall be made available to market participants, taking into account system integrity and operation.

2. LNG and storage system operators shall implement and publish non-discriminatory and transparent capacity-allocation mechanisms which shall:

(a) provide appropriate economic signals for the efficient and maximum use of capacity and facilitate investment in new infrastructure;

(b) be compatible with the market mechanism including spot markets and trading hubs, while being flexible and capable of adapting to evolving market circumstances; and

(c) be compatible with the connected network access systems.

3. LNG and storage facility contracts shall include measures to prevent capacity-hoarding, by taking into account the following principles, which shall apply in cases of contractual congestion:

(a) the system operator must offer unused LNG facility and storage capacity on the primary market without delay; for storage facilities this must be at least on a day-ahead and interruptible basis;

(b) LNG and storage facility users who wish to re-sell their contracted capacity on the secondary market must be entitled to do so.