OREANDA-NEWS. The gas infrastructure company Gasunie intends to split its subsidiary Gasunie Transport Services (GTS) into two separate transmission system operators with effect from 1 January 2016: a network operator for the national main transmission system (HTL) and a network operator for the regional high-pressure transmission system (RTL). The HTL network operator (GTS) and a new RTL network operator to be set up, Gasunie Grid Services BV (GGS), will both be wholly-owned subsidiaries of Gasunie.

The split aims to enable a further move in serving the market more effectively. The role and focus of the HTL and RTL transmission systems will increasingly diverge. The HTL network operator, with its international connections, will be increasingly involved in activities aimed at further European market integration while the RTL network operator will focus more strongly on maintaining its transmission system and connections to the regional high-pressure system. The development of sustainable energy solutions will also mainly take place in the RTL network. The split will in future allow costs and tariffs to be set in a more transparent and objective way for the users of the networks in question.

The proposed split is of an administrative and legal nature, and has no impact on the total costs for both network operators. Also, it will not have an effect on the ease with which network users can make use of the Dutch gas roundabout.

The split will also ensure that both network operators will be more comparable with foreign network operators. This is important in the context of transparent and objective international cost comparisons which the Dutch regulator is currently carrying out in a European context.