Scope
The Regulation on access to the National Natural Gas Transmission System, hereinafter referred to as the regulation, sets the conditions for applicants` / users` access to NTS (National Transmission System). For the purposes of this regulation, access to the NTS consists of: capacity booking and connection to the NTS. Access to the NTS does not involve the obligation of the NTS operator to provide a source of gas for the applicants / users.
Types of applicants
The following applicants may connect to the National Transmission System:
- the holders of the gas distribution public service concession arrangement for performing their contractual obligations incurred as such;
- the LNG terminal operators;
- the underground gas storage operators;
- the new industrial clients (the client which connects for the first time to a system);
- economic operators, holders of the distribution licence;
- gas producers;
- other clients who may not be provided the requested flow from the natural gas distribution system in the conceded zone delimited where the connection will be achieved.
Types of NTS access requests
The applicants will apply to the NTS operator in one of the following situations:
The necessity of a new connection installation;
- the development of a user:
- the development of the activity of a producer by the connection of new production facilities and / or the modification of the existing ones;
- the development of a consumer, namely the increasing of the requested gas flow as compared to the gas flow stated in the access approval or the previous connection approval, following extension of its own activity, modernization or replacement of technology, additional equipment, and others;
- the development of an existing distributor;
- the development of the activity of a storage licence holder by the connection of new storage facilities and / or the modification of the existing ones.
- the modification of some of the technical elements required by the holder of the access agreement or connection approval, with or without exceeding the initial connection installation parameters stated thereunder, namely:
- modification of the technical specifications of the connection installation;
- separation of consumers initially connected by the unique connection installation;
- removal of encumbrance on any land necessary to new constructions of the users in the protection or safety zones of the connection installations
- the modification of some of the administrative elements of the users, without exceeding the parameters stated in the access agreement or in the previous connection approval, namely:
- change of user name:
- objective overtaking by buy-out, transfer, lease, demerger, and others;
- modification of consumer classification, according to the applicable laws.
NTS access stages
The applicant must follow the stages below for obtaining access to the NTS:
- request of information from the NTS operator on the possibility to obtain access to the NTS at the location of the objective;
- NTS capacity booking for the applicant;
- connection to the NTS.
NTS capacity is booked based on a written request the applicant must submit to the NTS operator, according to the template provided in Annex 1. The NTS operator will reply to such request within 30 days from its registration.
When submitting the request, the applicant must pay to the NTS operator a fee amounting to 620 RON (VAT included) for the analysis and preparation of the access agreement.
Positive reply represents the access agreement and must state: the capacity booked, the natural gas delivery pressure regime upstream and downstream the metering station, the connection plan including the approximate connection routes and the basic technical specifications, other technical data necessary for the clear defining of the connection installation type, its validity .
NTS access rejection must be substantiated according to the applicable laws.
NTS connection stages
Connection to the NTS must follow the stages below:
- submission of connection request by the applicant; the connection request submission deadline is of 60 days, before the expiration of the access agreement validity;
- conclusion of the connection contract with the NTS operator. The NTS operator is obliged to make available the connection contract to the applicant within 60 days from the registration of the connection request;
- payment of the connection tariff by the applicant, at the value and within the term foreseen in the contract stated at letter b) and according to the NTS connection tariffs provided in Annex 2;
- designing and execution of the connection installation which may be carried out by the NTS operator or through ANRGN authorized economic agents. The NTS operator will select competitively the economic agents which will design and execute the connection installations, compliant with the laws in force;
- acceptance and commissioning of the connection installation by the NTS operator.
Documents necessary for the conclusion of the connection contract
The applicant must enclose the following documents with the request, as appropriate:
- the access agreement – in copy;
- the company’s documents, as the case may be: registration certificate, fiscal code, certificate of incorporation – in copy;
- title deed or supporting documents attesting the objective’s land / premises / building right of use;
- the town planning certificate or the building permit of the objective;
- title deed or supporting documents attesting the right of use of the land / lands on which the connection installation is achieved and the written agreement of the landowners the property of which is crossed by the connection installation.
The connection tariff includes, as the case may be, the costs related to connection installation designing, execution and commissioning, regulations of approvals, permits and authorisation issued by authorized bodies, obtaining the right of use of the land on which the connection installation is built and acquirement of the land where the facilities of the delivery / taking points will be located.
The connection tariff is paid according to the provisions stipulated in the connection contract, no later than the date of the connection installation commissioning.