Plinacro: We Are Not Responsible for Trade Transactions Between Suppliers and Gas Traders

In response to media inquiries regarding the excesses and deficits of balance group managers during May and June, which are not within the jurisdiction of Plinacro nor are there legal grounds for it, the company stated the following:

– Plinacro, as the operator of the gas transport system of the Republic of Croatia, is responsible for the management, supervision, maintenance, development, and construction of the gas transport system, as well as for balancing the quantities of gas in the gas transport system, with the aim of providing uninterrupted and safe gas transport services in the Republic of Croatia.

We remind that it is the duty of each balance group manager (the list of balance group managers can be found on the official website of the Croatian Energy Market Operator – HROTE) to balance the portfolio of their balance group on a daily basis, and it is Plinacro’s duty to maintain the gas transport system within the permitted limits of deviation, in cases where balance group managers do not do so. Namely, the balance group manager is obliged to daily balance the quantities of gas that their balance group delivers to the gas transport system with the quantities they take from the transport system. In case of the need to balance their portfolio, balance group managers have the option, in accordance with the Rules on the Organization of the Gas Market adopted by HROTE with the consent of the Croatian Energy Regulatory Agency, to trade products on the trading platform managed by HROTE. The aforementioned Rules on the Organization of the Gas Market also stipulate the calculation of fees for daily deviations of individual balance groups, which is carried out by HROTE.

In the event that Plinacro does not balance the system, it would not be able to provide gas transport services in accordance with the contracted capacities, which would lead to disruptions in the gas transport system, the gas market, and jeopardize the security of gas supply.

In accordance with the applicable regulations of the Republic of Croatia and the European Union governing the gas market, all publicly available data that Plinacro is obliged to publicly disclose is available on the company’s website. Given that portfolio data is under the jurisdiction of balance groups and is therefore confidential, Plinacro has no legal grounds to publicly disclose and comment on it. Specifically, all questions and information regarding the imbalance of individual balance groups, as well as the quantities of gas and prices, should be directed to the balance group managers.

Additionally, we emphasize that Plinacro, as the operator of the gas transport system of the Republic of Croatia, does not engage in gas trading activities and does not sell gas, and as such is not responsible for trade transactions between suppliers and gas traders. –