Industry reserves
Level of obligation
The obliged entities must maintain at all times, the following minimum security stocks, expressed in days of confirmed sales or consumption in the previous calendar year:
- 10 days of strategic stocks, maintained in underground storage at all times. The calculation is made annually, once the supply year has ended, and is applicable during the period between 1st April and 31st March of the following year.
- 10 days of minimum operating stocks of the system, maintained in underground storage at all times. The calculation is made annually, once the supply year has ended, and is applicable during the period between 1st April and 31st March of the following year.
- The days of minimum operating stocks of the user calculated annually according to article 4 of Order TED/72/2023, as of 26th January, based on the filling trajectory indicated in article 6 of that Order. If this obligation exceeds 7.5 days, the obligated entities may partially comply with it through liquefied natural gas (LNG) stored in Spanish regasification plants, maximum for the volume that exceeds the mentioned 7.5 days, including LNG assigned to fulfil the obligations of the Winter Action Plan. The rest must be maintained in underground storage.
Confirmed sales
“Eligible annual sales” refers to the sales made to end consumers by the obligated entity in the previous calendar year, or the previous year’s consumption in the case of direct consumers in the market.
The sales transacted between shippers, exports, and shipments of products to destinations in other European Union countries are not included in the calculation.
Confirmed sales made under an interruptible rate and supplies provided under a contract in which sales interruptibility has been included, under the conditions established in accordance with regulations, are not included either.
The calculation for the obligation is done annually once the supply year has ended, and is applicable to the period starting April 1 and ending March 31 of the following year. However, from March 15th to April 15th, gas shippers will have a month (from March 15 to April 15, both included) to adjust their stocks to the new level of obligation resulting from their firm sales of the previous calendar year.
During the first year of activity, the eligible sales are substituted for a sales forecast approved by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.
Calculation for groups of companies
Those obligated entities that belong to the same business group can meet the obligation to maintain minimum security stocks collectively, if so authorised by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.
Stocks that are owned or rented
Stocks held can either be the property of the obligated entity or they can be rented, but must be fully available in either case. The leases must be communicated to CORES before the contract comes into force.
Location of minimum security stocks
The strategic stocks and the minimum operating stocks of the system can only be held in underground storage facilities. If the minimum operating stocks of the user exceeds 7.5 days, the excess over this figure can be kept as LNG in the Spanish regasification plants.
