Critical Contingency Management
Gas Industry Company administers the Gas Governance (Critical Contingency Management Regulations 2008) Regulations. The purpose of the Regulations is to achieve the effective management of critical gas outages and other security of supply contingencies without compromising long-term security of supply. The Regulations achieve this principally through the appointment of a Critical Contingency Operator (CCO) which has a range of powers, particularly to curtail gas consumption during critical contingencies.
Critical Contingency Operator
The Critical Contingency Operator role is performed by Persons approved by Gas Industry Company in accordance with a Service Provider Agreement (SPACCO) with Plant & Platform Ltd. The role of the Critical Contingency Operator includes to: • determine & declare the onset of a Critical Contingency• call for load curtailment as required to balance the system• monitor the supply/demand balance and adjust load curtailment directions as necessary, and• determine when it is safe to terminate a Critical Contingency.
Critical Contingency Events
Critical Contingencies occur when there is a shortage of gas supply relative to demand. The pressure on the Transmission System can fall to a point where intervention is required to ensure that a sufficient supply of gas is maintained in the Transmission System to supply distribution networks and domestic consumers. If pressures on the Transmission System reach certain thresholds, the CCO will declare a Critical Contingency. The CCO will issue instructions to the industry designed to ensure that the balance between supply and demand is maintained. The Transmission System Owner (TSO) remains in direct control and management of the transmission system at all times and activates processes and procedures contained in their Critical Contingency Management Plan (CCMP).
News/Updates:
Revised CCO Information Guide
The CCO Information Guide, which outlines the communication flows between the CCO and stakeholders during a critical contingency, has been revised to reflect actions arising from the recent test Exercise Atiru. The latest verion is available on the Publications page.
Revised Firstgas CCMP
Firstgas has made some minor amendments to its Critical Contingency Management Plan. The latest verions is available on the Publications page.
Annual Exercise
This year's annual exercise to test the Firstgas Ltd Critical Contingency Management Plan was conducted on 18 May 2022. The CCO's Report for Exercise Atiru and the associated notices can be seen on the historical events page.
Proposal for amending CCM Regulations
The Gas Industry Company has received submissions on the ‘Statement of Proposal for amending the Critical Contingency Management Regulations’. Submissions can be viewed on the Gas Industry Company website here.
Interested Parties
If you would like to register as an Interested Party and receive direct email notification of the declaration of a Critical Contingency, please register your request using the Contact Us form.
Critical Contingency Operator