EU Energy Platform: Commission launches third round of demand pooling for joint gas purchases

Brussels: The Commission Thursday is launching the third opportunity for European companies to register their gas purchase needs via the AggregateEU mechanism, in view of jointly purchasing gas on the international market.

This third round builds on the success of the previous two tenders this year, in which a combined volume of 27.5 billion cubic meters of European gas demand was aggregated. Out of that, 22.9 billion cubic meters were matched with offers by reliable suppliers. You can consult our Factsheet for further information on the previous tenders.

In this third round, European companies have until 27 September to respond to the call for gas demand aggregation. The collective demand will then be put out to tender on the global market from 3 to 4 of October so that international suppliers can submit their offers to supply European customers. Prospective buyers will be able to submit their demand for gas to be delivered between December 2023 and March 2025.

Executive Vice-President Maros Šefčovič said: “This year we are entering the winter with a much better outlook for our security of supply: our gas storage is nearly full, our supplies are more diverse and renewables are playing a more prominent role in our energy mix. However, the situation on the gas market remains tight, so we need to stay vigilant and continue purchasing gas together to guarantee stable and affordable supplies. I therefore invite European companies to once again join forces and work together to make sure we will get safely through this winter and already start preparing for the next one.”

Demand aggregation and joint purchasing of gas is a flagship initiative under the EU Energy Platform, which was created to boost the diversification of EU gas supplies after Russia invaded Ukraine and the EU collectively decided to end its dependence on Russian fossil fuel imports.