CF: gas, new special law to secure supply
Keystone-SDA
The supply of gas in Switzerland is to be regulated by means of a new special law (Gas Supply Act). On Friday, the government launched a consultation until December 19 on a draft.
The aim is to increase the security of gas supply and to define clear rules for market access by end consumers, a government note said on Friday.
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Like electricity or telecommunications networks, the gas network is both a natural monopoly and a critical infrastructure. However, there is no specific gas market law in Switzerland, which has an impact on the security of supply and creates uncertainty regarding customer access. The new law can fill this gap, it was pointed out.
End consumers should all have access to the gas market, i.e. they should be able to freely choose their supplier. According to the executive, the Federal Electricity Commission (ElCom) is to become the Federal Energy Commission (EnCom) with expanded tasks.
For this access to be guaranteed, it will be necessary to install a communicating meter at consumers’ premises (with remote reading). The new Energy Commission will oversee the tariffs and fees for network use, the memo further states.
The project also includes an obligation to store gas for the winter, which will provide legal certainty for the companies involved. In addition, it is intended to facilitate trade and relations with neighbouring countries.
Finally, according to the Federal Council, the Gas Act only applies to gas networks that transport mainly methane. The hydrogen strategy adopted by the government stipulates that regulation of this market should only be included in the Gas Act once the need for hydrogen pipelines has been demonstrated, which is currently not yet the case, it goes on to say.
Adapted from Italian by DeepL/ac
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