LNG fa­cil­i­ty op­er­a­tors

Ruling Chamber 9 is responsible for all decisions to be taken by the Bundesnetzagentur relating to LNG facilities under the Energy Industry Act (EnWG) and its accompanying ordinances, as far as they relate to calculating and assessing tariffs for access to LNG facilities.

Approval of tariffs for access to the gas network pursuant to section 23a EnWG

From the regulatory perspective, LNG facility operators are classed as network operators and thus need to have their tariffs approved under section 23a EnWG. Operators impose usage tariffs on the customers of LNG facilities for bringing LNG onshore and, where necessary, storing it temporarily and then regasifying it. They have to apply for approval from the ruling chamber in good time (generally at least six months before the tariffs are planned to take effect) using the data form and applying the provisions of the LNG Ordinance (LNGV).

Usage tariffs for LNG facilities do not include the network tariffs imposed by transmission system operators for feeding gas into the transmission system, which also have to be paid by customers.

Calculation of tariffs and costs in accordance with section 14 et seq LNGV

In accordance with the LNGV, an annual cost examination and comparison of the projected and actual costs are carried out, during which the ruling chamber assesses and approves the likely costs for the next calendar year. Once the year is over, it assesses and approves the costs that were actually incurred. The difference between the actual costs and the revenues generated is calculated and offset against the current and future projected costs. The remaining projected costs are then divided among the services expected to be marketed in order to determine the tariffs that are eligible for approval. Details are set out in the guidance note.

The ruling chamber has received the following applications for procedures:

Completed procedures may be found in the Decisions database.