FGSZ, Transgaz to offer ROHU capacity up to gas year 2022

BUDAPEST (ICIS)–Hungarian network operator FGSZ and Romanian counterpart Transgaz will offer yearly firm capacity on the upgraded Romania-Hungary (ROHU) interconnector at the annual yearly capacity auctions in July for the gas years 2019-2022, FGSZ officials have told ICIS.

The capacity will enable up to 1.75 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas to annually flow between the two countries in both directions from 1 October 2019, when the first stage of the ROHU project will become operational.

Then, the second stage of the development will increase capacity up to 4.4bcm/year and allow the delivery of Romanian Black Sea gas to Hungarian and other regional markets from gas year 2022 up to 2036.

Capacity for this second phase has already been offered and registered high interest from the market as bidders overbooked the capacity several times in both directions.

FGSZ officials recently said that Hungary will allocate yearly capacity on the unused Slovakia-Hungary interconnector under the Hungary-Slovakia-Austria (HUSKAT) project, which will link the Hungarian, Slovak and Austrian infrastructure under one long-term capacity product.

The development aims to extend the ROHU supply route to western and central east European markets.

The relevant grid operators will offer yearly firm capacity on their networks from gas year 2022 to gas year 2036.

FGSZ will also acquire MGT, the operator of the Slovak-Hungarian interconnector, by the third quarter of 2018 as Hungary will move to a single system operator model.