Bogdan Tudorache

The weighted average selling price of natural gas on centralized markets during July-September 2020 (the third quarter, Q3) was of 57.15 lei/MWh, 50% lower than that recorded in the same period of 2019, respectively of 114.3 lei/MWh, ANRE announced.

“The public data provided by the centralized market operators show that, after the entry into force of the bidding program, the number of concluded transactions increased significantly. Thus, in the period July-September 2020, 640 transactions were concluded, compared to the same period of 2019, when a number of 267 transactions were concluded,” claims the energy market authority.

The liberalization of the natural gas market for domestic customers was stimulated by the natural gas supply program on the centralized markets in Romania elaborated and approved by ANRE by Order no. 143/2020 regarding the obligation to offer natural gas on the centralized markets of natural gas of producers whose annual production achieved in the previous year exceeds 3,000,000 MWh, respectively ANRE Order no. 144/2020 on the obligation of participants in the natural gas market to bid on centralized markets. These regulations have led to the development of transparent trading environments, by increasing liquidity and trading in sufficient quantities of natural gas to transmit relevant price signals, emphasizes ANRE.

Also, the obligation to offer natural gas ensures the access, through quantities of natural gas offered by the main domestic producers continuously on the centralized markets in Romania, of as many participants as possible (suppliers, non-household consumers, traders, distribution, transmission and storage operators), which thus have at their disposal the possibility of offering at competitive prices, to the final customers, all the necessary natural gas.