In order to continue the process of liberalising the market, on 13 July 2009 the European Union adopted a set of measures relating to the internal energy market (electricity and natural gas), known as the “3rd energy package”.

It brings together the following regulations relating to natural gas and TIGF’s activities:

The legislation dealing with energy, including the provisions for the transposition of the 3rd energy package, were grouped together in the Energy Code. The legislative part of that code came into force on 1 June 2011.

TIGF’s storage operations are described as “negotiated”. The operator determines their own marketing policy, which satisfies the principles of transparency and non-discrimination in order to allow the development of competition between natural gas suppliers.

Decree n° 2006-1034 of 21 August 2006, regarding access to underground natural gas storage, sets the conditions for the use of storage capacities. They have been established with regard for the safety, environmental and technical constraints specific to that kind of installation.

The use of storage is aimed in the first instance for natural gas transport grid managers and the storage operators themselves. The remaining capacities are then allocated to shippers supplying end customers and then, in decreasing order of priority, to domestic customers, customers providing services in the general interest, etc...
Once the needs of priority customers have been satisfied, the excess capacities are made available to the market.

The natural gas transport operations are described as “regulated”. In France, it is controlled by the Energy Regulation Commission (CRE).

The tariffs for transport services are covered in particular by the following regulatory texts:

Information exchanged with customers is confidential. That secrecy is designed to ensure fair competition between the various natural gas suppliers (Article L 111-77 of the Energy Code as supplemented by Decree n° 2004-183 of 18 February 2004 on the confidentiality of information held by operators of natural gas transmission, distribution or storage systems or liquefied natural gas installations).