GAZ-STYSTEM is authorised to provide natural gas and hydrogen transmission services as a single company.
The President of the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) granted GAZ-SYSTEM a derogation from mandatory unbundling of activities related to the transmission of gaseous fuels until 30 June 2039. The decision of the Energy Regulatory Office means that GAZ-SYSTEM will be authorised to pursue activities related to the development of hydrogen transmission network in Poland within the existing corporate structure, i.e. as a single legal entity, without the need to establish independent organisational operators for natural gas transmission and hydrogen transmission.
In the said decision, the President of the Energy Regulatory Office emphasised that owing to the derogation GAZ-SYSTEM will be able to provide appropriate technical and financial resources to enable the construction and maintenance of hydrogen transmission infrastructure. Acting as a single, reliable and recognized operator on the European market, GAZ-SYSTEM is also in a better position to effectively cooperate within the European Union and with foreign partners, both in terms of implementing common market rules for the development and financing of hydrogen infrastructure, its construction and expansion based on the EU legal framework, and the subsequent provision of hydrogen transmission services.
Granting a derogation to GAZ-SYSTEM will also enable the effective implementation of decarbonisation and energy transition policies in Poland and consequently will support sustainable development by implementing the objectives set out in the national energy policy.
The derogation is intended to create conditions fostering the development of the hydrogen market, especially in its initial phase, which along with the ongoing diversification of energy carriers, is expected to increase the country's energy security and create favourable conditions for its sustainable development, as well as accelerate the process and reduce the costs of launching the hydrogen transmission network in Poland.
Acting as a Hydrogen Transmission Network Operator (HTNO), GAZ-SYSTEM will be able to leverage its experience and expertise in the implementation of investment projects to support the construction of an integrated hydrogen transmission network. GAZ-SYSTEM is actively working on projects involving hydrogen transmission infrastructure, in particular the Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor, the Pomeranian Green Hydrogen Cluster and the National Hydrogen Transmission Network.
Upon granting the derogation, the President of the Energy Regulatory Office set out a roadmap for the transfer of assets from the natural gas sector to the hydrogen sector. The roadmap scheduled for implementation from 2025 to 2039 addresses the necessity to ensure energy security and create favourable conditions for sustainable development of the country, considers institutional commitments under international agreements and treaties, the need to balance the interests of energy companies and natural gas and hydrogen fuel consumers, and ultimately the imperative to maintain transparency in the transfer of assets from the natural gas sector to the hydrogen sector.
1 GAZ-SYSTEM fulfilled the requirement specified in the act amending the Energy Law by submitting: (i) an application for a derogation from mandatory unbundling of activities related to the transmission of gaseous fuels, and (ii) an application for a certificate of compliance with the independence criteria.
The submission of the above applications was a prerequisite for granting GAZ-SYSTEM the status of a hydrogen transmission network operator for the period until 4 August 2026.
