ACER calls for improvements in ENTSOG’s guidance documents for the TYNDP 2024
What is it about?
ACER publishes today its feedback on ENTSOG’s “Implementation Guidelines and other complementary guidance documents” for the Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) 2024. ACER welcomes the publication of these guidance documents for the first time, as recommended in ACER’s position paper on Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) consistency (March 2023), but calls for some further improvements.
What is the TYNDP?
Every two years, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG) publishes a non-binding TYNDP which looks forward over a ten-year horizon to identify infrastructure needs, assess projects’ benefits and provide an overview of supply adequacy across Europe. ACER monitors the development and execution of ENTSOG's plan and issues an Opinion on the draft TYNDP, evaluating its alignment with regulatory requirements.
The TEN-E Regulation 2022/869 mandates ENTSOG to consult with all relevant stakeholders and consider their input as part of this process.
What are ENTSOG’s guidance documents about?
From 19 June to 9 July 2024, ENTSOG conducted a public consultation on its guidance documents for the TYNDP 2024 including on the:
- elements required to perform project-specific cost-benefit analyses (CBAs) for the TYNDP 2024,
- methodology for assessing hydrogen and natural gas system needs for the TYNDP 2024, and
- methodology for identifying hydrogen infrastructure gaps for the Infrastructure Gaps Report 2024.
What are ACER’s key findings?
ACER recommends further improvements in ENTSOG’s guidance documents, including to:
- Revise the Infrastructure Gaps Identification (IGI) methodology by taking into account current uncertainties in hydrogen system development and align the methodology with ENTSO-E’s approach, specifying infrastructure needs in terms of required capacities per border.
- Improve clarity on the use of assumptions throughout different stages of the TYNDP process.
- Use more realistic infrastructure levels in line with expected developments in natural gas and hydrogen infrastructure.
- Enhance stakeholder engagement by collaborating with industry stakeholders to develop joint methodologies for defining relevant assumptions and parameters.
- Define and consult on a methodology to introduce a sensitivity analysis on the costs of hydrogen disruption, which significantly affect the benefits of infrastructure projects.
- Limit the security of supply assessment outlined in Annex D3 of the draft TYNDP to natural gas infrastructures only.
What are the next steps?
In line with the TEN-E Regulation 2022/869, ACER will issue an Opinion on the ENTSOG’s Infrastructure Gaps Identification (IGI) as well as on its draft TYNDP 2024 at a later stage. ACER emphasizes the importance of receiving all relevant materials promptly to ensure they align seamlessly with the 2025 Projects of Common Interest (PCI) selection process.
Access ACER’s feedback.