Flexibility and default services

To promote a greater operational flexibility of the Italian gas system, the possibility of booking transportation capacity on a monthly and a daily basis as well as an annual basis was introduced at the redelivery points that supply gas directly to the thermoelectric power plants, only paying for the quantities booked and not the service for the entire thermal year. This type of access allows for a more flexible allocation methods to respond promptly and efficiently to the electrical system’s changing operating conditions.

For the thermal year 2019-20 as well, Snam Rete Gas will perform the role of Default Transport Provider with regard to retail companies and end users of its network for which the balancing user responsible for the withdrawals cannot be identified. The same service is also carried out for the sales companies and final customers at third-party transporters who explicitly requested it. In the thermal year 2018-2019, this service involved 112 subjects among end users and retail companies, for volumes of approximately 323,000 MWh.

In 2019, the allocations for storage capacities, like the transportation business, were incorporated in the European PRISMA platform. This synergy helps customer to use the sole platform for booking transportation and storage capacity and makes Snam’s storage capacity more transparent at a European level. Thanks to Snam’s ongoing commitment to meeting its customers different needs, the flexibility of the services offered, and constant, accurate information is guaranteed through dedicated studies.