Principles for creating and maintaining mandatory stocks in Storage Facilities in the Storage Year 2024/2025

In accordance with the Act of 16 February 2007 “on the stockpile of crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas and on the operating procedures applicable in emergencies involving state fuel security or oil market disturbances” (consolidated text in Journal of Laws of  2024, item 1281, hereinafter referred to as “the Stockpiling Act”), an energy company engaged in business activity in respect of foreign trade in natural gas and an importer of natural gas are obliged to maintain a mandatory stock of natural gas, at the level determined pursuant to Article 25.2 or 25.5 of the Stockpiling Act (“Statutory stock volume“), in storage facilities whose technical parameters ensure the delivery of the entire volume of such stock to the gas system within no more than 50 days, and, in case of drawing on the mandatory stock of natural gas, they are obliged to replenish such stock up to the Statutory stock volume within 4 months of the end of the month when such stock was drawn upon. The above 50-day time period is specified in Art. 70d of the Stockpiling Act, which was introduced pursuant to Article 2(14) of the Act of August 5, 2022 amending certain acts to strengthen the state’s gas security in connection with the situation in the gas market  (Journal of Laws of 2022, item 1723), which entered into force on September 1, 2022, thus extending the previously statutory maximum period for the delivery of the total amount of mandatory stocks to the gas system. The above-mentioned period has been regulated temporarily, i.e. until September 30, 2024. In accordance with art. 13 point 2) of the Act of 23 May 2024 on the energy voucher and amending certain acts to cap the prices of electricity, natural gas and system heat (Journal of Laws 2024, item 859), art. 70d of the Stockpiling Act was amended as of 13 June 2024. The 50-day period for the delivery of the total amount of mandatory stocks of natural gas to the gas system was extended until 30 September 2025. After this date the level will return to the level before the change, i.e. until the 40-day period.

According to the provisions of Regulation of the Minister of Economy of 28 June 2013 concerning the detailed principles of tariff design and calculation, and the settlements in gas trade (Journal of Laws 2013, item 820), settlements in energy units have become obligatory as of 1 August 2014. Gas Storage Poland sp. z o.o. enables the creation and maintenance of a mandatory stocks of natural gas on the basis of the provided storage services in the units of energy (kWh), in the period from 1 October 2024 till 30 September 2025, according to the following principles:

• In the GSF Kawerna, should be ordered a firm storage services in the form of bundled units or in the form of flexible bundled units comprising injection capacity and withdrawal capacity ordered jointly, provided that they are equal or greater than the combined injection capacity and withdrawal capacity specified for the firm storage services in the form of bundled units.
• In the GSF Sanok and UGS Wierzchowice SF, should be ordered a firm storage services in the form of bundled units or flexible bundled units with the maximum withdrawal and injection capacity.
• The capabilities for creating the mandatory stocks of natural gas have been specified for gaseous fuel with Reference Gross Calorific Value (10,972 kWh/m³).
• When the Gross Calorific Value of the Gaseous Fuel injected to the Storage Facility of GSF Kawerna, GSF Sanok and UGS Wierzchowice SF is higher than the Reference Gross Calorific Value, the volume of the mandatory stocks may be increased on the basis of the Extension of Offered Services used to create and maintain the mandatory stocks.
• When the Gross Calorific Value of the Gaseous Fuel injected to the Storage Facility of GSF Kawerna, GSF Sanok and UGS Wierzchowice SF is lower than the Reference Gross Calorific Value, the capability of creating and maintaining the mandatory stocks will be reduced in accordance with the principles applicable to the Reduction of Offered Services.