EU Energy Platform: Commission launches second round of demand pooling for joint gas purchases
Image by Freepik Today, the Commission is launching the second opportunity for European companies to register their gas purchase needs via the AggregateEU mechanism, in view of jointly purchasing gas on the international market.
As recently announced by Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, this second exercise builds on a successful first tender, in which almost 11 billion cubic meters of aggregated European gas demand has been matched with offers by reliable suppliers.
In this second round, European companies have from 26 June to 3 July to respond to the call for gas demand aggregation. The collective demand will then be put out to tender on the global market from 7 to 10 of July so that international suppliers can submit their offers to supply European customers. Prospective buyers will be able to submit their demand for gas to be delivered between August 2023 and March 2025, an extended period compared to the first round.
Vice-President Šefčovič said: “The EU Energy Platform on joint gas purchasing is working well and shows Europe at its best. Joining forces is key to guarantee stable and affordable gas supplies to the EU market, for the benefit for our businesses and citizens. As we enter a crucial stage of the storage refilling season, I encourage both buyers and suppliers to make the best use of this new marketplace ahead of the winter.”
Demand aggregation and joint purchasing of gas is a flagship initiative under the EU Energy Platform, which was created to boost the diversification of EU gas supplies after Russia invaded Ukraine and the EU collectively decided to end its dependence on Russian fossil fuel imports.
