Joint gas purchasing: Very good results for 2nd mid-term demand aggregation round for natural gas

The Commission has today confirmed the outcome of the 2^nd mid-term round for joint gas purchasing under AggregateEU. The figures show that the round aggregated 29 billion cubic meters (bcm) of demand for gas from European companies, while reliable international and European suppliers offered almost 31 bcm of gas to European buyers. Almost 20 bcm was matched. All participants have been informed about the matching results and will now be able to negotiate contracts bilaterally. 

Since April 2023, the Commission has conducted a total of 7 matching rounds, during which more than 119 bcm of gas demand from European companies were aggregated and 191 bcm were offered by international suppliers. After seeking the most competitive offers, AggregateEU has matched close to 100 bcm to cover European demand. 

Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, said:

'As we fast track our decarbonisation efforts in the EU, it is also key that European buyers are able to secure competitive gas offers from reliable international suppliers. The positive results of this second matching round on joint gas purchasing show the strong interest from the market and the value in providing increased transparency to European gas users and buyers.' 

Background

Under this second mid-term matching round buyers were able to submit gas demand for multiple 6-month periods, up to a maximum of 5 years, running from July 2025 until October 2030. Mid-term rounds on AggregateEU are a service offered by the Commission to ensure stability and predictability of gas supplies, building on the foundations of the crisis mechanism put in place in 2023. Importantly, this new mid-term round reinforces the Commission’s continued commitment to diversifying our energy supplies away from Russia.

AggregateEU is the Commission’s flagship initiative for demand aggregation and coordinated gas purchasing at the European level as part of the EU Energy Platform, launched in April 2023, to make the EU’s energy supply more diverse, secure and coordinated.

In line with the Hydrogen and Decarbonised gases package, the Commission is now working on establishing a permanent instrument for the joint purchasing of gas and of other similar mechanisms for the demand aggregation of important commodities such as hydrogen and critical raw materials.

Related links

• EU energy platform