According to the Balancing Rules network users are to bear the primary responsibility of balancing their inputs against their off-takes. The transmission system operators carry out any residual balancing of the transmission networks that might be necessary. For that, the transmission system operator shall undertake balancing actions in order to maintain the transmission network within its operational limits and to achieve an end of day linepack position in the transmission network different from the one anticipated on the basis of expected inputs and off-takes for that gas day, consistent with economic and efficient operation of the transmission network. While undertaking balancing actions the transmission system operator shall consider estimates of demand of gas over and within the gas day, nomination and allocation information, measured gas flows, gas pressures throughout the transmission network.
The transmission system operator shall undertake balancing actions:
The transmission system operator is entitled to procure balancing services for those situations in which short term standardised products will not or are not likely to provide the response necessary to keep the transmission network within its operational limits or in the absence of liquidity of trade in short term standardised products. Preference is given for trading on the natural gas exchange in short-term standardized within day products.
The transmission system operator may seek approval from the national regulatory authority to trade within an adjacent balancing zone, and have the gas transported to and from this balancing zone, as an alternative to trading title products and/or locational products in its own balancing zone.
The transmission system operator shall not gain or lose by the payment and receipt of daily imbalance charges, within day charges, balancing actions charges and other charges related to its balancing activities.
The transmission system operator shall pass to network users any costs and revenues arising from daily imbalance charges and within day charges, any costs and revenues arising from the balancing actions, unless the national regulatory authority considers those costs and revenues as incurred inefficiently in accordance with the applicable national rules.
The transmission system operator shall publish the specified charges and the total balancing neutrality charges at least as often as the system users are invoiced for the respective charges, but at least once a month.
In 2023 Amber Grid sold to network users 246,108.9 MWh of balancing gas worth 12,574.0 thousand EUR. Amount of balancing gas sold to network users amounted to 1.65 percent of the total gas supplied to natural gas customers in Lithuania.
In 2023 Amber Grid bought from network users 333,817.7 MWh of balancing gas, whose value is 14,176.5 thousand EUR. Amount of balancing gas bought from network users amounted to 2.24 percent of the total gas supplied to natural gas customers in Lithuania.
There were 143 balancing periods in 2023, in the course of which network users caused shortage of gas in the transmission system and 222 balancing periods, when network users caused surplus of gas in the transmission system.
Total daily imbalance fluctuated from 1.1 MWh to 7,100.3 MWh and averaged 718.6 MWh per day (1.76 percent of average daily amount of gas supplied to natural gas customers in Lithuania).
Amber Grid charges system users a neutrality charge to ensure financial neutrality. In year 2023, 854.6 thousand EUR were returned and 68.8 thousand EUR were collected from the system users.
In 2023 Amber Grid did not trade balancing gas within an adjacent balancing zone.
