Market roles
The wholesale market participants comprise the shippers, traders and transmission network end users. The retail market participants comprise retailers, retailers with delivery obligation and distribution network end users. Biogas injecting parties and LNG processing facility operators may operate in the wholesale or retail market depending on whether the facility is connected to the transmission or distribution network.
Amarket participant may have multiple market roles at the same time, which means participants may tailor the role or set of roles that best suits their business. For example, a transmission network end user may act as a shipper for itself and is therefore able to be responsible for its own gas deliveries. A retailer may also act as a shipper and even as a distribution network end user if it meets the role-specific requirements when registering for those roles.
Shipper is a business that is registered in the Register of Market Participants and to which a system operator transmits quantities of gas in the transmission and distribution Networks in accordance with capacity agreements and the Gas Transmission Rules. A shipper may act as a balance responsible party of a balance group or the shipper has to be a member of a balance group of another shipper or trader that is a balance responsible party. A shipper may also act as a retailer, biogas injecting party, transmission network or distribution network end user and/or trader.
1 of 8Trader is a market participant that carries out wholesale trading in gas but does not enter into capacity agreements with the transmission system operator or trade in capacity on the secondary market. A participant acting as a shipper automatically has the right to act at the same time as a trader.
2 of 8Transmission network end user is a business that consumes and supplies natural gas at metering sites connected to the transmission network. A transmission network end user may also act as a shipper, trader, biogas injecting party, retailer and/or distribution network end user.
3 of 8Biogas injecting party is a market participant that injects upgraded biogas into the network and enters into an agreement with a shipper on the injection of biogas into the Finnish gas system.
4 of 8Liquefied natural gas processing facility operator means a natural person or a legal person that liquefies natural gas or imports, unloads and regasifies liquefied natural gas and is responsible for the functioning of the liquefied natural gas processing facility.
5 of 8Distribution system operator (DSO) is a business that carries out the function of distribution and is responsible for operating, ensuring the maintenance of, and, if necessary, developing the distribution network in a given area and its interconnections with other systems, and for ensuring the long-term ability of the system to meet reasonable demands for the distribution of gas.
6 of 8Retailer is a business that supplies natural gas directly to end users via a distribution system operator’s distribution network.
Retailer with delivery obligation is a retailer referred to in section 44 of the Natural Gas Market Act. If there is no retailer with significant market power in the operating area of a distribution system operator, the retailer whose market share, as measured by the quantity of natural gas delivered, of natural gas acquired by end users covered by the delivery obligation is the highest in the operating area in question.
7 of 8Distribution network end user is a customer of a metering point connected to a distribution network that buys natural gas for its own use. A distribution network end user may be a consumer or other end user of gas.
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