In Incukalns UGS reserved 19.3% more capacity than projected
In the injection season of 2019/2020 year storage cycle, in the Incukalns underground gas storage (Inčukalns UGS) is reserved 19.3% more capacity than was originally forecasted. The initial forecast showed that during this injection season system users will store 14.9 TWh of natural gas, while currently there are 17.8 TWh reserved in the storage.
The maximum storage potential for the Incukalns UGS according to the technological project is 24 TWh, but as of 2015 the volume of Incukalns UGS active natural gas has not reached the maximum values of the technological project and has decreased annually. Overview for the first half of the year, which was received from the Storage Authors Organization included recommendations on the maximum volume of the active natural gas to be placed in the storage in 2019. According to the review, the estimated maximum allowed storage volume has reach 18.54 TWh. On 24 July 2019, the total volume of the booked storage capacity was 17.78 TWh.
In the view of the actual mode of the injection season of the storage cycle of 2019/2020, it was decided in July 2019 to limit the daily injection capacity of Incukalns UGS to 104 GWh/day from 15 July 2019 to the end of the injection season of 2019/2020 storage cycle. At the same time, it was decided to extend the injection season for the 2019/2020 year storage cycle until 13 November 2019. The decision to reduce the daily maximum injection capacity to 104 GWh, while extending the injection season, provided the possibility of meeting the system users' requests for storage capacity.
Despite the appropriate restrictions on the injection for Incukalns UGS, market participants continue to show an interest in the purchase of additional capacities for Incukalns UGS. In order to ensure that system users meet current requests under contracts already concluded, taking into account the actual operational parameters of the storage cycle of 2019/2020 year of Incukalns UGS and the active interest of current market participants in the further purchase of Incukalns UGS storage capacity in the storage cycle of 2019/2020, it is necessary to limit the available storage capacity for reservation in Incukalns UGS to 18.54 TWh.
For the convenience of users of the “Conexus Baltic Grid” system, capacity.conexus.lv will keep publications of the secondary market reports on its website. Every user of the system is invited to write to capacity@conexus.lv and report on his or her wish to purchase or sell on the secondary market the storage capacity of Incukalns UGS, indicating contact details for a possible transaction. The information will be published on the website above, where it will be available to all users of the system.