Capacity booking process

Forward firm capacity is offered independently at each interconnection point. Registered parties must book forward firm capacity separately at TAP’s required entry and/or exit point(s). 

Subject to sufficient available capacity TAP offers forward firm capacity products, in the following order of priority, at each interconnection point:  

• forward firm yearly capacity for each of the next 15 gas years at annual auctions 
• forward firm quarterly capacity for each gas quarter in the same gas year at rolling quarterly auctions 
• forward firm monthly capacity for the next gas month at monthly auctions 
• forward firm daily capacity on a day-ahead basis at daily auctions. 

Forward interruptible capacity is only offered as forward day-ahead interruptible capacity. It is only offered if all the available capacity for forward firm capacity for that interconnection point on that gas day has been fully booked. 

Other than at Kipoi, to the extent that capacity is available on both sides of that interconnection point, capacity is offered as bundled. Each forward capacity product is offered in a single auction on the PRISMA capacity booking platform.   

Commercial reverse capacity must be booked as a combination of equal amounts of capacity at an entry and an exit point of a commercial reverse route. Auctions are conducted for the commercial reverse routes, which have been specified in Appendix 2 of the TAP Network Code. 

TAP offers commercial reverse capacity products in the following order of priority, provided there is sufficient remaining available capacity at both interconnection points that form a commercial reverse route:  

• commercial reverse yearly capacity for each of the next 15 gas years at annual auctions 
• commercial reverse quarterly capacity for each gas quarter in the same gas year at rolling quarterly auctions 
• commercial reverse monthly capacity for the next gas month at monthly auctions 
• commercial reverse daily capacity on a day-ahead basis at daily auctions. 

Commercial reverse capacity is an interruptible product in accordance with Section 12.4 of the TAP Network Code. 

Commercial reverse capacity is auctioned on the PRISMA capacity booking platform.   
 

Other than at Kipoi, forward capacity is offered as bundled capacity whenever possible, combining the available capacity on both sides of an interconnection point. If the amount of a particular capacity product for forward firm capacity on offer at an interconnection point by TAP is different from the amount of capacity on offer by the adjacent TSO for the same standard capacity product, the lower of the two amounts will be offered as bundled capacity, and the remaining capacity will be offered as unbundled capacity. 

Before the start of each auction, in accordance with timings set out in the Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/459 (CAM Network Code), TAP calculates and publishes the amount of capacity available for the relevant auction period for each interconnection point and flow direction. 

Auctions for the available capacity for forward firm capacity and commercial reverse capacity (excluding forward firm daily capacity and commercial reverse daily capacity) use an ascending clock auction algorithm, as set out in the Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/459 (CAM Network Code). 

Auctions for forward firm daily capacity, commercial reverse daily capacity and forward day-ahead interruptible capacity use a uniform price auction algorithm, as set out in the Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/459 (CAM Network Code). 

TAP will only accept bids that are within a registered party’s available credit.

TAP needs to take into consideration technical constraints when offering firm and commercial reverse capacity at the interconnection points. When the available capacity at one point cannot be allocated without reducing the available capacity at another point of the network, TAP shall commercialise this capacity through competing auctions. 

For more information, please refer to the competing auctions procedure.

Auction results will be published by PRISMA after each bidding round has closed in accordance with the respective timetable. Registered parties will be notified on an individual basis by PRISMA of the reserved capacity that they have booked at the relevant auction. TAP will make aggregated information on auction results available by posting this information on our website, on the public part of the electronic data platform (EDP).