Analizar los efectos de transferencia cercana a corto plazo del entrenamiento

The only holder of a natural gas transportation license in the Czech Republic is NET4GAS, s. r. o.

(until March 3, 2010 known as RWE Transgas Net, s. r. o.). NET4GAS, s. r. o. owns the pipeline network in the Czech Republic, while, in addition to the transit of Russian natural gas to the countries of Western Europe, it also provides supplies for particular regions run through the line of the transmission transpor-tation system.

Most natural gas exported from the Russian Federation to the Czech Republic comes from the Rus-sian Urengoy, Yamburg and Medvezhye giant gas fi elds. It fl ows through the Brotherhood and Yamal gas pipelines, which join the Soyuz pipeline in the Western Ukraine. These three bundles then become the Transgas system. The existing pipeline networks for Russian gas are built on foundations dating from the

100 Such a long-term contract between RWE Transgas and OOO Gazprom Export (until 2035) is nothing exceptional in Europe, as similar long-term contracts are concluded by OOO Gazprom Export and other suppliers with all major gas companies in the EU (such as GDF Suez, E.ON Ruhrgas AG, VNG Verbundnetz Gas AG, OMV Group, N. V. Nederlandse Gasunie, Eni S. p. A., Wintershall Holding GmbH, etc.) (see Kysilka, 2007, s. 22).

101 Contracts with companies that own the parts of the German gas network used for gas transport to the Czech Republic are also necessary. These companies include ONTRAS-VNG Gastransport GmbH and Wintershall AG.

102 In addition to RWE Transgas, a. s.; VEMEX, s. r. o. and Moravske naftove doly, a. s., the companies Ceska plynarenska, a. s.; Lumius, spol. s r. o.; WINGAS GmbH & Co.KG.; United Energy Trading, a. s.; Energie Bohemia, a. s.; Conte, spol.

s r.o.; SPP CZ, a. s.; LAMA INVESTMENTS, a. s., and Bohemia Energy Entity, s. r. o. in 2009 had a 3.66 % share in natural gas supplies (see MPO, 2010g, p. 8).

Cold War. The fi rst pipeline was the multipurpose Brotherhood pipeline, completed in 1967. It fetched natural gas from western Siberia, from the Tyumen region. In the 1970s, the Transgas Company emerged, starting to develop and run pipeline networks, while the Transgas pipeline was released in 1972, consist-ing of several parallel pipelines set in different time intervals.¹⁰³ Ever since, this road has been named the

“system Transgas” (sometimes also known as the “classic route”). Gas travels mainly through the transit countries, Ukraine and Slovakia, while one of its parts is also supplied through the connector between the pipeline Yamal and Brotherhood from Belorussia to Ukraine. The gas is supplied from Slovakia to the Czech Republic using the Lanžhot border point, where it is delivered by the Slovak network operator Eus-tream, a. s. This system is peculiar in that the measuring devices are located as far as the Ukrainian-Slovak border, where the Czech Republic purchases gas. On the Slovak-Czech border, 7.5 bcm per year (2008) for domestic consumption and 26.5 bcm/y for purchasers in the West (2008) is then passed on. The transit pipeline is interconnected with the German STEGAL network (operated by Wingas Transport GmbH) using the Hora Svate Kateriny border point. Gas has been supplied to Germany through this point since November 1999 (until then, it transited solely through Poland using the Yamal pipeline).

Natural gas from the Kingdom of Norway comes mainly from the Draupner E gas platform. The Europipe I pipeline (18 bcm per year; 660 km) connects Draupner E directly with the German Dornum terminal. Another two pipelines, Europipe II (24 bcm per year; 658 km) and Norpipe (16 bcm per year; 354 km), then connect the terminal at Norwegian Kårstø with the German Dornum and Emden terminals (see Business Monitor Online, 2010). The gas is then transported using the NETRA pipeline (Norddeutsche Erdgas Transversale; 21,4 bcm/y; 408 km; owned by the German company Verbundnetz Gas AG) through northern Germany to the Steinitz station and further to the Czech border, where it is transferred at the Hora Sv. Kateriny station. This gas is technically adjusted in Germany for the Czech pipeline network in terms of its interchangeability with Russian gas. The Russian gas is, therefore, basically pure methane, while the Norwegian gas contains more hydrocarbons and, consequently, has a higher calorifi c value¹⁰⁴. Norwegian gas is mixed in Germany with gas extracted in Germany in order to reach a quality matching the Russian gas. On Czech territory, gas is provided for consumption in the northern and central regions and in Prague.

In reality, the supplies from Norway remain as “virtual” or “trade” gas during periods of continuous Russian gas fl ow rather than physical supplies. Norwegian gas is swapped for the Russian one, which is supplied to the Czech Republic either through the gas pipeline from Berlin to Hora Sv. Kateriny or through the Transgas system. In fact, Norwegian gas should only be supplied to the Czech Republic in the case of cutbacks or interruptions to supplies from Russia. During the crisis of January 2009, Norwegian gas was in fact the only gas actually fl owing to the Czech Republic (viz Mejstřík & Marková, 2010, p. 19).

Basically, gas can be imported into the Czech Republic through three border points. The fi rst is Lan-zhot, used mainly for the transit of Russian gas to the Czech Republic. It can also be used for the purchase of gas on the spot market from the hub at Austrian Baumgarten an der March (Central European Gas Hub/

CEGH).¹⁰⁵ The Czech Republic is not connected to the CEGH directly (there is nevertheless a project to construct an interconnecting gas pipeline from Breclav, see below); for this reason purchased gas is sent through the Slovak gas network Eustream, a. s. and from there through Lanzhot to the Czech Republic.¹⁰⁶

103 For more details about the transit pipeline see Čech & Tichý, 2001.

104 The amount of heat produced by the complete combustion of a material.

105 Central European Gas Hub (CEGH) AG, originally named Gas Hub Baumgarten, is a joint-stock company the shareholders of which are OMV Gas & Power GmbH (80 %) and Wiener Börse AG (20 %).

106 The maximum technical capacity of the cross-border point in Baumgarten is 0.00015232 million cubic metres per day as of January 2011 (0.0000526 bcm/y; 1601.2 GWh/day) for receipt of Russian gas from the Eustream, a. s. network and 0.00001658 million cubic metres per day (0.00000573 bcm/y; 174.3 GWh/day) for gas exports to the Eustream, a. s.

network (see ENTSOG, 2010a).

The second point is Hora Sv. Kateriny with the two border points of Olbernau and Sayda.¹⁰⁷ Gas, which fl ows to the Czech Republic from this point, includes Russian, Norwegian (in the form of substituted – swapped Russian gas), as well as gas coming from Germany and Poland. In the future, the Nord Stream-piped Russian gas will also pass through this point. The third existing border station is Waidhaus, which is mainly used for transferring Russian gas from the Czech transit network to Germany. It connects the Czech network with European pipelines using the MEGAL¹⁰⁸ pipeline. It is also possible to use this sta-tion for the purchase of gas on the spot market. Also, gas from the planned LNG Adria terminal could be supplied through Waidhaus in the case of there being no interconnection through CEGH (see below).¹⁰⁹

In 1972, the transit gas pipeline from Russia came into operation; it takes natural gas to Germany and France through the Czech Republic. Since 1972, therefore, the Czech Republic has been an important transit area due to its location. The owner of the Czech transit gas pipeline network is NET4GAS; this company also sets the transit fees (see NET4GAS, 2009). A producer of natural gas pays to the owner of the pipeline system for services of gas transmission through the pipeline system of a third country. For illustration, here it is the price for a steady daily transportation capacity during a one-year contract lasting for 12 months (table No. 5.3).

Tab. 5.3: The Price for the Steady Daily Transportation Capacity of Natural Gas during a One-Year Contract Lasting 12 Months

Entry and Place of Exit Price (CZK/1000 m³)

Lanzhot and Hora Sv. Kateriny (Sayda) 60 127

Lanzhot and Hora Sv. Kateriny (Olbernhau) 60 127

Lanzhot and Waidhaus 60 127

Hora Sv. Kateriny (Sayda) and Waidhaus 53 685

Hora Sv. Kateriny (Olbernhau) and Waidhaus 53 685

Source: NET4GAS, s. r. o., 2009.

The volume of transited gas reached 72.5 mcm per day (i.e. 26.46 bcm per year) in 2008; it was 68.4 mcm per day in 2009 (i.e. 24.97 bcm per year). Given the different types of transit contact, different transit tariffs, the lack of up-to-date data about the precise volumes of natural gas fl ows between the particular points across the borders and with respect to other circumstances, it is hard to calculate the concrete gains coming from the transit fees. The transit fees are, moreover, unregulated, they can also take the form of natural gas supplies and, if circumstances allow, they can provide a prosperous business.

Natural gas is transported through Czech and Polish territory mainly for consumers in Germany (38 bcm/y), Great Britain (20.9 bcm/y) and France (10.9 bcm/y). Smaller volumes are exported by Gazprom through the Czech Republic to Belgium (4.9 bcm/y) and the Netherlands (6.7 bcm/y). Supplies to South-ern Europe are delivered using the pipeline in Slovakia going to Austria (5.8 bcm/y) through the hub in Baumgarten and further to Italy (22.4 bcm/y).¹¹⁰

107 The subsequent German transit network is operated by the ONTRAS–VNG Gastransport GmbH company.

108 The capacity of MEGAL Süd is 22 bcm/y and is fully used year after year. MEGAL (Mittel-Europäische-Gasleitung) is operated by GRTgaz Deutschland GmbH, formerly Gaz de France Deutschland Transport GmbH, and E.ON Gastransport AG.

109 Adapted from Energetický regulační úřad, 2008 and MPO, 2009b. Revised by author.

110 Data from 2008 according to the OAO Gazprom website (http://gazprom.ru/).