Energy Community Secretariat helps to foster gas market reform in Georgia

The Energy Community Secretariat is contributing to the widening of the gas market, attract investments and provide for the increased security of gas supply in Georgia.

For this reason, the Energy Community Secretariat launched a technical assistance project in Georgia’s capital city of Tbilisi this week under the EU4Energy Governance Project.

A draft natural gas distribution network code will cover and elaborate the terms and conditions for operation, management and functioning of natural gas distribution networks in Georgia, and in particular rules on fair and non-discriminatory third-party access and connection to natural gas distribution systems”, read the press release by Energy Community, an international organisation established between the European Union (EU) and a number of third countries to extend the EU internal energy market to Southeast Europe and beyond.

The Network Code will be developed between January and March 2018 in cooperation with the main beneficiary – the Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission (GNERC).

The code is part of the gas market reforms currently being carried out by Georgia pursuant to its commitments under the Energy Community Treaty.

The EU4Energy Initiative covers all EU support to improve energy supply, security and connectivity, as well as to promote energy efficiency and the use of renewables in the Eastern Partner countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

It does this by financing projects and programmes that help to reform energy markets and to reduce national energy dependence and consumption.

Over the longer term, this makes the energy supply more reliable, transparent and affordable, thus reducing energy poverty and energy bills for both citizens and the private sector.