Periodically, MEDREG focuses its attention on one of its members to share an important national development, reform or news likely to interest fellow regulators. Here are some of the recent ones:
In recognition of the Egyptian energy reform, the Egyptian state made the decision to liberalize the natural gas market and took the needed steps to do so by issuing the gas law no. 196 for 2017 on August 2017, which paved the way for the establishment of the Egyptian regulatory body, named the Gas Regulatory Authority (GasReg). The new entity shall regulate, monitor and supervise all gas market activities in order to ensure the availability of natural gas, the Third Party Access (TPA), to guarantee the quality of services provided and also to ensure the optimal use of gas facilities, taking into consideration the interests of all gas market participants beside protecting the consumers' rights.
The French energy regulator CRE held a high-level conference on the energy transition in the islands The French Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) organised in Paris on the 6th of March, a high-level event dedicated to the energy transition in the European islands. 200 participants and 23 speakers attended this “Clean energy for the European islands" event which extended to regulators the initiative of the European Commission launched with the Valletta Declaration signed in May 2017 by 14 Member States. High level representatives of the European Commission were present alongside French and European authorities, experts and European regulators to discuss the different European regulatory models implemented in the island territories, the mechanisms supporting the energy systems and how to manage the energy transition in these areas.
Jordan : Exclusive rights are being given to the Jordanian Energy Regulator EMRC to regulate all energy sources
The Jordanian Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) has recently seen its duties and prerogatives extended, resulting in a reinforcement of its regulatory authority. A law was published by the government (No 8 Year 2017) giving exclusive rights to EMRC to regulate, supervise, and monitor the nuclear and radiation; mining; electricity; renewable energy; petroleum; oil shale and gas sectors, making EMRC a comprehensive regulatory body with legal regulatory powers. Hear EMRC Commissioner and MEDREG Vice-President Wijdan AlRabadi about the Jordanian Regulator’s extended powers:
ERE: Albania has approved the certification of its Transmission System Operator for Electricity (TSO) The Albanian Energy Regulatory Authority (ERE) has recently approved the certification of the country’s Transmission System Operator for Electricity (TSO), which constitutes a significant progress towards unbundling and the implementation of the Third Energy Package in Albania. It also places the TSO as a key player in the Albanian and Euro-Mediterranean market. The Albanian Energy Regulatory Authority Board of Commissioners approved the final certification of the Albanian Transmission System Operator for Electricity (TSO) on 15 March 2017, according to the Law on the “Power Sector". This decision followed the application submitted on 13 July 2016 by the company (the TSO) to the Energy Regulatory Authority regarding the certification of the ownership unbundling of the TSO from other activities in the electricity sector.
RAE (Greece): Introduction of Forward Baseload Products in the Greek electricity market (NOME auctions)
In Greece, the Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE) has recently introduced a new scheme of “Regulated Auctions for Forward Baseload Electricity Products” in the Greek electricity market. This new mechanism, known as “NOME auctions” and foreseen by the law L. 4389/2016, as amended applies, was inspired by the French NOME (ARENH) scheme and aims at reducing the share of the incumbent electricity producer and supplier in the Greek wholesale and retail energy markets.
The “auction products” refer to baseload energy that is provided by the incumbent to the independent retail suppliers. The products are virtual, in the sense that they are not produced by specific generation facilities and their delivery does not depend on actual electricity plant operation. The volume of products to be auctioned is linked to an equivalent decline of the incumbent’s retail market share per year until 2020.