Title: Structural changes in the European gas industry: causes and consequences

Authors: Patrick Heren

Addresses: PH Energy Analysis Ltd., Ingram House, 13-15 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6LD, UK

Abstract: The imposition of third party access to pipelines under the terms of the European Union|s Gas Directive will lead to a radical restructuring of the European natural gas industry (the Directive is summarised in an appendix to the paper). State involvement in the industry will be reduced to a regulatory role. The speed of change will vary from country to country, but will gather pace as the inevitable development of short term gas trading undermines the system of long-term take-or-pay contracts on which the industry has been based since its inception.

Keywords: natural gas; spot markets; take-or-pay; liberalisation; privatisation; third party access; restructuring; Groningen.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGEI.2001.000923

International Journal of Global Energy Issues, 2001 Vol.16 No.4, pp.272-286

Published online: 18 Aug 2003 *

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