Management of the Hungarian Energy Office - Magyar Energia Hivatal

4000
3000
2000
1000
0
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Number of events causing outage
within which: outages due to breakdown
Number of outages with direct responsibility of the suppliers
within which: breakdowns with direct responsibility of the suppliers
Figure 5 Quantitative data of the events causing outages in natural gas supply
(pcs/year)
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
total outages
concepts, and the application method of these could not be
streamlined, while as a consequence of the new regulation, the
tasks of licensees have signifi cantly changed, they increased
in number, and lawmaking did not even reach a stable state.
Unbundling of activities
outages with direct responsibility of the supplier
outages with direct responsibility of the supplier, due to breakdowns
Figure 6 Number of the events causing natural gas outages per 1000 consumers
(pcs/1000 consumers/year)
The accounting unbundling in accordance with the Gas Act
is compulsory for all natural gas undertakings, no exemption
can be granted. If the activities of natural gas transmission,
distribution and storage are performed by a vertically integrated
natural gas undertaking, the activities subject to license have
to be performed in organizations and through decision making
procedures that are separated from the directly not related
other activities, legally unbundled and independent from
organizational and decision making viewpoints, except for
a) the natural gas transmission company with system operation
license,
b) natural gas trader companies supplying less than 100 000
consumers,
c) Pipelined LPG suppliers.
FGSZ Földgázszállító Zrt. is a legally unbundled company of
MOL Nyrt. According to Article 6 of the enforcement decree of
the Gas Act, the transmission activity has to be performed in a
separate organizational unit and with an independent decision
annual report 2009
making process. The senior managers
of the system operator may not take part
in other natural gas activities (subject
to license) either directly or indirectly.
With regard to the fl ow of information,
the system operator has to perform its
natural gas activities in the same way
in the case of parties belonging to the
same ownership structure as in the
case of other actors of the market. The
natural gas transmission company is
also physically (headquarters, offi ce
building) separated from all other business
organizations performing natural
gas activities.
Five out of the ten natural gas
distribution licensees are major
regional companies with more than
100 000 consumers. In accordance with
the provisions of the Gas Directive
55/2003/EC, the fi ve large public utility
suppliers and natural gas distribution
companies already completed legal
unbundling in 2007. Accordingly, they
perform the natural gas distribution
and public utility supply activities in
separate companies. The public utility
wholesale activity was performed by
E.ON Földgáz Trade Zrt. until 30 June
2009, which is a vertically integrated
fi rm of E.ON Ruhrgas International
GmbH, even though it operates in a
fully separated way from the gas storage licensee E.ON Földgáz
Storage Zrt. Public utility segment ceased from 1 July
2009. E.ON KÖGÁZ Zrt. and E.ON DDGÁZ Zrt. performing
the distribution of natural gas are also legally unbundled
companies.
Quality of supply
Customers expect continuous supply, i.e. a uninterrupted
availability of natural gas. Certainly, the piplined gas supply
is accompanied by various, accidentally occurring or planned,
or otherwise caused outages. Outages can be caused by
breakdowns or other reasons, e.g. maintenance, reconstruction
works, etc. Some of the reasons are directly related to the
supplier, others in turn are independent from him. The quality
of the physical process of pipelined natural gas supply can be
assessed and demonstrated by the reason, time and duration
of outages.
The development of the number of outages is shown in Figure
5 based on the data of Table 8. The Figure shows that customers
were hit by the outages to an increasing-decreasing extent.
The proportion and absolute number of the outages where the
suppliers were directly responsible increased in the fi rst half
of the period, and then it continuously decreased. The Figure
is also indicating the frequency of the breakdowns causing
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