Gas from the daily market

Transcription

1 Gas from the daily market Client: FGSZ Földgázszállító Zrt. Sector: energy Solution: TSO Energy Platform, Balancing Energy Platform Date of conception of the case study: 7 th December 2011 Web site: The tasks of Földgázszállító Zrt. cover the operation of the high pressure natural gas pipelines interlacing the whole territory of Hungary and the harmonisation of the functioning of the natural gas system. To support these activities, the company established the Balancing Energy Platform that helped it to base the tasks of the transmission system balancing on market activities already in the summer of 2010, although this will be a general requirement in the EU only after The company worked in cooperation with IP Systems both in the development of the market place enabling real time trading and in the development of the information platform ensuring the handling of all tasks in connection with the daily gas transmission. - What are the tasks of FGSZ in respect of harmonizing the functions of the whole natural gas system? Zoltán Gellényi capacity sales manager: The most important aspect was in 2004, when the market liberalization started, to ensure equal chances for everybody to access the capacities of the transmission system. This requires continuous on-line communication between the system operator and the system users. The high pressure natural gas transmission system operated by FGSZ includes approx. 20 entry points and over 400 exit points; for the gas transmission through these we have to process several hundred thousand data each day in an incredibly complex logical system that is governed by the relevant legal regulations, and that makes the physical gas transmission apt for financial accounting. For example, in order to maintain the system and plan the gas day, we need to have several

2 types of information on the gas circulated in the system, like the trader owning it, its quality and its status of being delivered or not Well defined parts of this information have to be made accessible in the proper form to our clients, in order to help the effective utilisation of the system, for example the capacity reservation for shippers. We also have to check the feasibility of transmission tasks from infrastructural aspects, and if this test is passed, it has to be checked, whether the gas supplied to the system is in accordance with the previously demanded volume and quality parameters. Accordingly, the operation of the natural gas transmission system in a liberalized market is an extremely complex duty. - What type of IT solution did you choose? Z. G.: The eternal question arose: should we adapt a boxed The market responses on the system and try to mend it again and again, or should we develop product are good, everybody a completely new, tailor made solution? Finally we decided for appreciates it. the latter option. The presently running TSO Energy Platform has already been developed by the staff of the IP Systems, based on our requirements and on the demands of the market participants; this way it perfectly performs all system operation and trading functions. - The Balancing Energy Platform is a module of the information system used by you. What is it exactly, and what is its role in the trading with natural gas? Z. G.: Practically it is a cash market platform, where the system users and we as the shipper controlling the natural gas system can trade with the gas volumes needed for maintaining the balance of the system. The Balancing Energy Platform is important for us because it allows us maintaining the balance of the gas system through gas volumes bought or sold under transparent market conditions. In addition to this, the platform offers further business opportunities for natural gas traders and neighbouring transmission system operators to generate added value e.g. by exploiting gas price differences. - How was the software development completed? Z. G.: The natural gas law prescribing the establishment of the platform was adopted in June 2008, and in two years reckoned from this we presented an operable solution. Due to the necessary approvals, the effective development could start only in January A further complication was that the institution warranting and accounting the transactions, the KELER Zrt. was selected by us as late as in November 2009.

3 Three subsystems are dealt with, the complexity of which would be extreme on their own, too: the conventional modules of the TSO Energy Platform, the Balancing Energy Platform as a market instrument, and the software of the clearing house and central contracting party KELER, which must operate synchronously. Due to the stringent time limits, we had to run some risk in common with IP Systems, when we performed certain engineering tasks in advance, because we did not have the time to wait for the approval of the Energy Authority. For example the pairing of buying and selling orders is less dependent on the official rules, rather it requires a severe mathematical algorithm, so we began to program it earlier. We constructed the system brick by brick: first we designed the motor, than the description and programming of the processes running in the market place followed. When we knew, who would be the clearing house, we also had to implement the communication between the KELER Zrt. and the Balancing Energy Platform. - Were there any other challenges to cope with during the development besides time shortage? Z. G.: The IP Systems was familiar with the operations in the natural gas market, but they had less experience with the trading interfaces. However, they hurried up enthusiastically to perform the tasks, when we described our ideas and requirements in respect of the operation of the online trading system. The implemented interface is relatively simple to use, with standardised products, for which buying or selling orders can be put by entering two or three parameters. The trick and the secret are to ensure in every case the validity of each order, and to handle properly the risks resulting from anonymity. A number of checking points are passed till an order appears on the display. At the

4 same time this guarantees that the buyer shall receive the goods he bought, and on the other side, the counter-value of the goods shall be paid to the seller. - How did the acceptance of the market place look like? Z. G.: The Balancing Energy Platform as a technical product achieved a very good acceptance, in spite that we had to go We are competitive with ahead like a test-pilot who gets passengers behind himself. The other online trading schedule was too tight to allow us presenting for the market platforms, we are able to participants a mature system that had been tested in each provide for the same possible aspect. Some technical problems emerged when the functionalities. system was already in use, but we could solve every one of these problems in a relatively short time. Also the market responses on the product are good, everybody appreciates it. With respect to the software as a trading platform, I think that we are delayed by half a year approximately, in comparison to our former plans regarding the development of the market; however this delay has not been caused by the implementation of the Balancing Energy Platform. In recent months we already had transactions on each day, orders have been passing, and people have been using the market. So there are good reasons to be optimistic. - Are there any functions or system components that you are particularly proud of? Z. G.: Having a look at balancing platforms that are operated less market-conform, I m sure that we can give more. We are competitive with other online trading platforms, we are able to provide for the same functionalities. The participants see the real-time transactions in real time, concrete changes appear on the display each time, when somebody sells or buys. We do not gather the buying and selling orders in a box to summarize the results at a later time, the trader immediately sees the transaction. Due to some specific features of the gas market, there are products that are open for trading only at night, so the Balancing Energy Platform is operated non-stop, around the clock on seven days per week. We are also proud of the feature that the system can be operated by us also outside the banking hours. - The continuity of gas supply is a very sensitive and important topic. You had to take this into account during the development of both the TSO Energy Platform and the Balancing Energy Platform. What are the solutions that ensure for us to have gas in the oven when we turn the tap? Z. G.: We have to grant a very high availability, so we use communication systems that warrant a properly high operational reliability. We protect them with appropriate keys; and we have an almost immediately employable back-up platform, too.

5 Authorisation management is a similarly important aspect, because we operate a portfolio of extremely high value. Just think of the fact that the daily gas consumption of Hungary varies between 20 and 90 million cubic meters, representing a tremendous amount of money. Therefore we have to ensure that the information input to the system originates from properly authorized persons. No faulty information can get in, and no information can get out that could injure anybody's business interests. - How could you cooperate with IP Systems in the development phase? Z. G.: Good cooperation is evolved between us, both in professional and in social aspects; we often do not feel at all that they have a different work place. Besides the proficiency in IT, also the knowledge possessed by IP Systems in respect of natural gas transmission is of very high value for us, because in lack of the latter they simply would not understand our problems. I appreciate also that the development were completed in sprints. For a given question they usually give an immediate response of model level that is nevertheless operable, and its results can be checked by me on the display. This reveals quite a lot, maybe I whished something else, more should be required, or less would be enough, too. This practice helped us significantly to create operable solutions for very complex problems in very short time. About the Földgázszállító Zrt.: At present the high pressure natural gas transmission system operated by the company consist of pipelines with a total length of 5782 km, of roughly 400 gas take-over stations and of 6 compressor stations. The tasks of FGSZ include the operation, maintenance and development of this system, as well as take-over and supply of natural gas, the measurement of the quantity and quality, the central odorizing, the pressure control and the overpressure protection of the transmitted gas. Being the holder of the only one licence of system operation, the company has to harmonize the operation of the whole natural gas system. In order to achieve this, the company maintains continuous contacts with the system users and with the neighbouring system operators.

6 About the IP Systems: IP Systems sited in Budapest is a market niche company founded in It employs a staff of 50 at present. This company is today the leading information platform supplier of the Hungarian natural gas market; its continuously widening scope of offers includes solutions to support the processes of trading with natural gas and electric energy. The experienced staff of the company develops software products based on the knowledge of the energy market; the expansion of their sector-related knowledge is deemed to be a personal target. Its customer base includes among others the Földgázszállító Zrt., MOL Energiakereskedő Kft., Magyar Áramszolgáltató Kft., Alpiq from Switzerland, the GDF Suez, as well as the E.ON Földgáz Storage Zrt. About the TSO Energy Platform: Being the system operator, FGSZ is responsible for the co-ordination of the cooperating natural gas network of Hungary. Accordingly, its information system supports all participants of the natural gas market in their usual business activities. For the traders it primarily involves the management, realisation and accounting of transmission capacity reservations and of natural gas transmission demands; while for the neighbouring transmission system operators it is important because of fine-tuning the actual physical natural gas transmission at the network points and because of allocating the transmitted quantities to shippers. The software provides access for the users in accordance with the authorisations laid down in the gas industry licences. About the Balancing Energy Platform: The platform is intended to support the flexibility market of the gas days and to boost the balancing tasks in the gas market by trading means. Due to its exchange-like operation, the shippers can anonymously trade with natural gas and transmission capacities through a clearing house. Besides the realisation of transactions, the platform also ensures that the placed orders and the realized transaction are feasible from natural gas transmission aspects.