EU Gas Capacity Platform to Add Storage

Europe's pipeline capacity booking platform Prisma is to offer its services to storage operators, it said November 7, following a ten-month consultation that showed it was needed.

Two storage operators involved in the test, Astora and OMV Gas Storage, agreed that the new marketing method could yield new products and benefit shippers and operators alike.

Storage operators have had a bleak few years, as the summer-winter price difference has been too small to incentivise injections. Big price swings within a winter have however provided opportunities for shippers to profit from storage capacity booked earlier in the year.

Prisma chairman Gaetano Mazzitelli said that the platform confirmed its "strong commitment to promote the integration of the energy markets. We are extending our services to facilitate an easy access to gas infrastructures for market participants, in the interest of EU final customers."

Astora sales manager Sebastian Rosa said: “After ten months using the Prisma services, we have already extended our marketing frequency. We strongly believe Prisma can further support us with improving our process efficiency and in offering more interesting products to our customers.” Astora, owned by Wingas, the German midstream company owned by Gazprom, operates the giant Rehden seasonal storage plant that has some 4bn m³ of working gas capacity, as well as Jemgum also in Germany; and Haidach in Austria.

Austrian OMV Gas Storage and German EWE Gasspeicher were also enthusiastic, saying the platform allowed an easy to use, one-stop shop for acquiring capacity products and for conducting auctions.

Location of Astora's three storage sites (Map credit: Astora)

William Powell