OREANDA-NEWS. July 31, 2014. Deputy Head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia), Anatoly Golomolzin, held a meeting on the issue of organized trade with natural gas.

Representatives of the Central Bank, the Ministry of Energy, “Gazprom” OJSC, “Gazprom Mezhregiongaz” Ltd. and “St Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange” CJSC took part in the meeting.

Participants discussed an Action Plan for enforcement of Sub-Clause “c” Clause 2 of the Protocol of a meeting of the Commission at the President of the Russian Federation on Fuel-and-Energy Complex and Environmental Safety, according to which it is necessary to undertake measures to launch exchange trade with natural gas.

Discussion focused on technological problems of organizing trading with natural gas at “St Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange”, as well as avenues to resolve them.

A decision was made to approve the Action Plan, specifying stages of developing exchange trading with natural gas and make changes to several normative legal acts that eliminate some barriers for organizing trading with natural gas and facilitating it.

“We covered the issues of unconditional execution of the decisions made by the Fuel-and-Energy Commission on organizing exchange trading with natural gas no later than December 2014. All necessary organizational and legislative preconditions are available. The experience of trading with natural gas at “Mezhregionagaz” Electronic Trading Site and “SPIMEX” experience of exchange trading with oil products will be fully taken into account. Some normative legal acts should be revised such as the Rules for non-discriminatory access and the Gas Supplying Rules, factoring in specifics and conditions of exchange trading with natural gas. Departmental acts subject to revision include a joint Order of FAS and the Ministry of Energy on the volume and modes of gas sale. We are also discussing possible revision of the accreditation procedures of goods supply operators with the Bank of Russia”, summed up Anatoly Golomolzin.

Participants decided to organize such meetings on a regular basis.