International Organizations

1. European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG)

FGSZ Ltd participates in ENTSOG’s work as a transmission system operator, representing the interests of Hungary. The Company actively participates in the ENTSOG projects directly concerning its activity, such as in the development of consolidated European network codes and the compilation and biennial updating of the 10-year development plan set out in the law.

 You can find more information regarding ENTSOG’s role in the European gas market, its activity and the management and members of the organisation here.

The consolidated European network codes and the other EU legislation can be found here.

2. Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE)

In 2023, FGSZ Ltd. rejoined GIE, which represents the interests of European gas infrastructure operators. Founded in 2005, GIE’s current membership encompasses 68 companies from 25 countries across Europe, including operators of transmission systems, storage facilities and LNG terminals. As member of the Gas Transmission Europe (GTE) subdivision of GIE, FGSZ is actively participating in GIE’s activities aimed at contributing to the design and implementation of a transparent, secure, sustainable, and competitive gas market in Europe underpinned by a stable and predictable regulatory framework as well as by a sound investment climate.

You can find further information on GIE here.

3. International Gas Union (IGU)

In 2023, FGSZ Ltd. has become an Associated Member of IGU, which is a worldwide organization founded in 1931. As of January 2024, the IGU has more than 150 members in 5 continents, representing over 90% of the global gas market. The mission of IGU is to advocate gas as an integral part of a sustainable global energy system, and to promote the political, technical, and economic progress of the gas industry. FGSZ has joined multiple IGU committees and study groups with the aim of actively supporting their ambition of contributing industrial expertise to gas advocacy, bring industry knowledge and best practices to the markets, and provide local energy solutions.

You can find more information on IGU here.

4. Pipeline Operators Forum (POF)

The POF is a professional forum dealing with issues relating to the operation and diagnostics of natural gas pipelines. You can find more information about it here.

 
5. European Compression Community (E2C)

E2C is an international organisation engaged in the operation and diagnostics of gas turbines and compressors.

6. European Gas Pipeline Incident Data Group

EGIG is an organisation created by 17 European TSOs, collecting malfunction data of overhead natural gas transmission pipelines over 15 bar. It categorises, evaluates, and periodically publishes aggregated data.

7. European Hydrogen Backbone (EHB)

The EU targets net zero emission by 2050, which means that fossil energy utilisation will drop sharply in the forthcoming years. Natural gas can be a good intermediate solution to phase out coal utilisation, yet in long term natural gas needs to be decarbonized and renewable gases will be added to the energy mix. The EU has around 2 million km natural gas pipeline system, which can be retrofitted and repurposed to transport renewable energy in a zero-emission future. The first European Hydrogen Backbone study prepared by consultancy company Guidehouse in 2020, analysed the possibilities of repurposing high-pressure natural gas systems for hydrogen transportation. The study concluded that existing gas infrastructure can be repurposed to transport hydrogen at a much lower costs than previously thought.

FGSZ joined the European Hydrogen Backbone initiative in January 2021. This initiative involves most gas TSOs in the EU. The aim of the work is to identify how the future hydrogen infrastructure should look like.

Hydrogen is a promising future energy carrier with many valuable applications. It is a storable form of energy that can be combined well with increasing quantities of windpower and solar-PV. It can replace natural gas and coal in providing high temperature heat in heavy industry. Hydrogen can also be used to produce climate-neutral aviation fuel and other transport fuels. The production cost of renewable hydrogen are set to reduce rapidly in the coming years, which means that it can play a central role in achieving the EU’s energy and climate change ambitions. Hydrogen can be transported through repurposed gas infrastructure and stored in large salt caverns . Importantly, transporting energy as hydrogen through pipelines is far cheaper than transporting the same quantity of energy as electricity through powerlines.

Recognising that hydrogen transportation can be a good alternative after the decline of natural gas utilisation, FGSZ joined other European TSOs to support planning the future hydrogen infrastructure. The European Hydrogen Backbone initiative published a new set of hydrogen infrastructure maps during March 2021 as well as a new study into future hydrogen demand, supply and transportation.

Professional collaborations

FGSZ Ltd has a similarly active role in the international professional cooperative efforts towards finding potential solutions and the elaboration of concepts for ensuring regional supply safety as in the creation of the Gas Regional Investment Plan (GRIP) setting out the associated development plans of the European Union.

The Company participates in the so-called CESEC (Central and South Eastern Europe Gas Connectivity) initiative, which targets the integration of the gas market in Central and Southeastern Europe and the diversification of the gas supplies arriving in the region.

The Company made proposals for such projects in cooperation with the transmission system operators of the neighbouring countries that have been declared to be projects of common interests (PCI) by the European Union, and that may be implemented later as a function of binding market demands to be confirmed in the form of long-term supply agreements.

The Oil & Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP), led by the United Nations Environmental Programme, is an initiative aimed at monitoring and reducing anthropogenic methane emissions in the oil and gas sector. Besides FGSZ, almost 70 oil and gas companies are members in the Partnership as of now, who are responsible for more than 30% of all oil and gas produced globally. The OGMP 2.0 reporting framework is an internationally recognized methodology for reporting methane emissions. The goal of FGSZ is to reach the ‘gold standard’ methane emission reporting classification of OGMP 2.0, and to integrate the methodology into our way of working, in line with our emission-reducing initiative and the climate goals of the European Union.