Natural gas suppliers will have the obligation, between April 1 and October 31, 2022, to establish in the underground natural gas storage depots a minimum stock of natural gas, in order to ensure continuity and safety in the supply of final customers and to ensure own consumption and affordability of price, according to the draft Ordinance on the measures applicable to final customers in the electricity and natural gas market between April 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023.

According to the document, the entire amount of natural gas representing the minimum stocks to be stored by each supplier must represent at least 30% of the amount of natural gas required for the consumption of final customers in its own portfolio or own consumption.

Also, natural gas suppliers must store natural gas in their own name, by concluding underground natural gas storage contracts with one of the holders of the license to operate underground natural gas storage systems or by concluding, by 31 October, of sale-purchase contracts having as object quantities of natural gas coming from the underground natural gas storage depots, stored by another natural gas supplier.

At the same time, they can initial mandate contracts with another supplier, in order to store natural gas, according to Agerpres.

Also, natural gas producers will be obliged to sell at a price set by the Government the quantities of gas resulting from the current domestic production activity to the suppliers of domestic customers and heat producers or directly to them.