The mechanism will apply as of 15 February.
EU vitality regulatory company Acer will monitor the markets and publish a “market correction discover” on its web site. This can routinely activate a “dynamic bidding restrict” – the reference LNG worth plus EUR 35/MWh – for front-month, quarterly and year-ahead derivatives contracts.
Bids above this dynamic bidding restrict won’t be allowed. As soon as activated, this restrict will apply for at the least 20 working days. This restrict will likely be routinely deactivated whether it is under EUR180/MWh for 3 consecutive working days as soon as 16 of those 20 working days have handed.
If the LNG reference worth is under EUR 145/MWh, nevertheless, the bidding restrict would be the sum of EUR 145/MWh plus the EUR 35/MWh premium ie EUR 180/MWh.
Deactivation
The restrict is also deactivated at any time if the European Fee declares a regional or EU fuel provide emergency.
In each circumstances Acer will publish a deactivation notice on its web site.
The EC may droop the mechanism if it sees dangers to fuel provide safety, monetary stability or fuel flows between EU international locations, or if fuel demand rises.
Causes for suspension embrace a major drop in LNG imports, or a major drop in TTF buying and selling volumes yr on yr, or if fuel demand rises by 15% in a month or 10% in two months.
The EC’s suspension resolution will likely be revealed within the EU’s Official Journal and take impact the subsequent day.
The mechanism won’t apply to over-the-counter bilateral trades, or day-ahead and intraday trades on exchanges.
Limiting worth extremes
The mechanism is meant to restrict excessive worth spikes which can be unrelated to world market provide and demand situations, such because the EU skilled in August when spot TTF costs have been greater than EUR 57/MWh above LNG costs.
EU international locations had been strongly divided on methods to method this downside. Some, together with low fuel consumer France, wished a weaker worth cap, whereas others, together with the bloc’s largest fuel market Germany, was apprehensive {that a} cap may forestall wanted provides coming to Europe.
The European Fee proposed in November setting a brief automated bidding restrict of EUR 275/MWh for front-month TTF contracts on exchanges if sure situations have been met.
These included the front-month TTF worth exceeding EUR 275/MWh for 2 weeks, and the European Gasoline Spot Index (Egsi) worth being at the least EUR 58/MWh greater than a reference LNG worth for 10 consecutive buying and selling days throughout these two weeks.
Analysts had stated this worth degree and situations have been too excessive and strict to have any affect.
The cap is a brief, emergency measure meant to assist the EU mitigate the vitality disaster exacerbated by the dramatic drop in Russian fuel provides as relations deteriorated over the conflict in Ukraine.
The Ice Alternate has reportedly warned EU international locations that it might pull its fuel buying and selling market out of the Netherlands if a cap have been imposed with out giving time for merchants to adapt and for the market operator to check resilience and danger administration techniques.
The ministers’ settlement must be formally adopted to turn into binding, which is predicted within the subsequent few days.
This can be a corrected model of the story revealed at 18:23 CET on 19 December to make clear that the LNG reference worth would have to be under EUR 145/MWh, not EUR 143/MWh, as included within the unique assertion from the EC.
