Royal Decree 949/2001, of 3 August, which regulates the access of third parties to gas installations and establishes an integrated economic system of the natural gas sector, develops the basic lines that must contain the Technical Management Standards of the Natural Gas System, establishing in its article 13.1 that the Technical Manager of the System, in collaboration with the rest of the subjects involved, will draft a proposal of Standards of Technical Management of the System, which raise the Minister for approval or amendment.

In compliance with the above, the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Commerce issued Order ITC/3126/2005 of 5 October, approving the Technical Management Standards of the Gas System. That order, in its final provision, empowers the Directorate-General for Energy Policy and Mines to take the necessary measures for the implementation and enforcement of the order, in particular to approve and amend the detailed protocols. of the Technical Management Standards and other requirements, rules, documents and operating procedures established to enable the correct operation of the system.

Order ITC/3126/2005 of 5 October, in the Technical Management Standard NGTS-12, paragraph 12.2, establishes the creation of a working group for the updating, revision and modification of the rules responsible for the submission for approval by the Directorate-General for Energy Policy and Mines, for proposals for updating, reviewing and amending the rules and protocols for the management of the gas system.

On the basis of the above, a proposal for a new detail protocol for Transport ERM/EM Enlargement Criteria was received by the Technical Manager of the System from 12 March 2009, the purpose of which is to define the control parameters and the criteria to be taken into account to take the decision to extend the Regulation and Measure Stations (ERM) and the Measurement Stations (MS) of the transport system.

According to the third paragraph of the third paragraph of Law 34/1998 of 7 October, of the hydrocarbon sector, in its wording given by Law 12/2007 of 2 July, which amends the Law on Hydrocarbons with the End In order to adapt it to the provisions of Directive 2003 /255/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2003 and Article 13 of Royal Decree 949/2001 of 3 August 2003, the proposal for a new detailed protocol has been submitted to the Council. Mandatory report of the National Energy Commission.

In its virtue, this General Address resolves:

First.

The PD-14 Detail Protocol is approved for the definition of the degree of saturation of the Regulation and Measurement and Measurement Stations and the procedure for implementing proposals for action, included in the Annex to the This resolution.

Second.

The content of paragraph 6.3.4. Parameters and considerations for the calculation of the capabilities of a regulation station and/or measure of the PD-10 Detail Protocol is replaced by the calculation of the capacity of the facilities by the next text:

It is considered as nominal capacity, the maximum flow rate that can be used by the ERM/EM according to its design characteristics, without considering the reserve line, using as parameters the regulatory capacity and the capacity of the measure.

The regulatory capacity of an ERM will be calculated as the sum of regulatory capabilities of each of the lines, without considering the reservation line.

The measurement capacity of an ERM/EM will be calculated as the sum of the capacity of the measurement equipment installed on its lines, without considering the reservation line.

In summary, the capacity of a regulation station and/or measure will be calculated taking into account:

• Number of lines.

• Joint regulation capacity of the control valves.

• Turbine capacity, function of the standard size of the turbine.

• Pressure and temperature conditions, and in particular the input operating pressure and the absolute output pressure. "

Third.

This resolution shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the "Official State Gazette".

Madrid, April 30, 2012. -Director General of Energy Policy and Mines, Jaime Suarez Perez-Lucas.

ANNEX

PD-14 Detail Protocol

Criteria for defining the degree of saturation of the stations for regulation and measurement and stations of measurement and procedure for carrying out proposals for action "

1. Object. -This detail protocol aims to determine the criteria for determining whether a Regulation and Measurement Station (ERM)/Measurement Station (MS) of the transport system is saturated in its regulatory or measurement capacity. It also aims to establish the procedure for proposing technical adaptation actions to them.

2. ERM/EM capacity. The capacity calculation must be performed according to the PD-10 Detail Protocol of the System Technical Management Standards (NGTS).

3. Definition of the ERM/EM saturation criteria.

3.1 Evaluation period. -In general, the period during which the state of saturation of the ERM/MS has to be assessed will correspond to the winter period, considering as such the one from day 1 of November of the previous year and 31 March of the current year, both inclusive, equivalent to 3,624 hours of sampling (3,648 hours in leap year).

In cases where it is expected that the peak of consumption may occur in another period of the year, this period will be considered especially.

3.2 Tramos of flow rates to determine the degree of saturation. -Time flow rates are classified as:

• Maximum time flow (Q_max): maximum value of the average time flows that have existed in the ERM/EM during the evaluation period.

• Flow for 80 hours (Q_{80 hours}): Minimum value of the average hourly rates recorded during the 80-hour peak consumption of the assessment period, expressed as a percentage of the maximum capacity. (The 80 hours correspond to business hours of weekdays of one week: 16 working hours/day * 5 days/week * 1 week = 80 hours).

• Flow for 160 hours (Q_{160 hours}): Minimum value of the average hourly rates recorded during the 160 hours of highest consumption of the assessment period, expressed in% of the maximum capacity. (160 hours correspond to business hours of two weeks: 16 working hours/day * 5 days/week * 2 weeks = 160 hours).

• Average flow rate (Q_average): average of the average time flows that have existed in the ERM/MS during the evaluation period.

3.3 Determination of the degree of saturation. -The following degrees of saturation of ERM/EM are established:

• Grade 3 (G3-Alert).

• Grade 2 (G2-Caution).

• Grade 1 (G1-Vigil).

These ERM/EM saturation grades are defined according to the pre-calculated time flow rates, so that an ERM/EM will be included in any of the above grades when the conditions are verified that are set in the following table:

Degree of saturation

G2 Caution

Conditions
Qmax > Nominal Capacity	Q80 hours > 90% Nominal capacity	Q160 hours > 85% Nominal capacity
G3 Alert.

4. Definition of the actions to be performed.

4.1 Actuations to be performed in case of saturated ERM/MS. -Actions to be performed, if feasible, will be:

• Retired lines.

• Replacing the counters.

• Extension/replacement of regulators.

• Extending with an additional line.

• Installing a new ERM/EM.

Installing a new ERM/EM will take into account any of the following:

• Replace old ERM/EM with another on the same site.

• Building a new ERM/EM on a site adjacent to the old one.

• Building a new ERM/EM that can be an alternative point of supply to the connected network.

4.2 Analysis of the current state of saturation of ERM/MS. -Each carrier will prepare annually according to the criteria set out in this Protocol, a study on the current state of saturation of its ERM/MS, indicating the degree of saturation.

4.3 Analysis of the future state of saturation of ERM/EM. -For all connections with existing networks the operator of the installation will ask the interconnected operator (carrier or distributor) annually for the growth forecasts of the downstream network of the station for the following two years.

Before June 15 each year, distribution companies and carriers will send demand forecasts in their networks. All the owners of the cascading installations shall send the information to the operator of the ERM/EM upstream.

These forecasts must include the average demand and the expected peak demand for each of the next two winter periods, together with their justification, which will distinguish between the demand contracted for these periods and the demand that is expected to be contracted.

The distributor will also be able to provide additional information about the networks that it deems appropriate.

The carrier, with the information received from the other interconnected holder of the new maximum and average demand levels, will annually determine the expected future saturation degree of the ERM/MS.

In the ERM/MS connection between hauliers consideration will be given to the evolution of the capabilities foreseen in the Mandatory Planning.

4.4 ERM/EM adequacy proposals report. -Before 30 July of each year and in accordance with the previous paragraphs, each carrier shall send to the System Technical Manager (GTS) a report of proposals for the adequacy of the ERM/EM, which shall include at least the following:

• Current status of ERM/EM saturation including Q_max, Q_{80 hours} , and Q_{160 hours}.

• Information on current demand, including average demand and peak demand during the preceding winter period, and increase forecasts for the next two winter periods, in networks connected to the ERM/MS where appropriate adjustments were required.

• Expected state of ERM/EM saturation in the following two years, including Q_max, Q_{80 hours} and Q_{160 hours}, and distinguishing between the contracted demand and the one that is expected to be contracted.

• Proposal for actions to be carried out, with their economic assessment (modifications, extensions, new installations).

In the ERM/EM report of adequacy proposals, tables 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 included in the annex are to be completed. Where necessary, the GTS shall update the formats of those tables, and shall be forwarded to carriers and distributors in good time for completion.

As a general criterion, proposals for actions to be carried out in ERM/MS will always be included, the expected state of saturation in some of the following two years outside GRADO 3. In addition, proposals will be included for ERM/MS which for two consecutive years have been included in the annual report with a predicted state of saturation Grade 2. Proposals will also be included for ERM/MS which for three consecutive years have included in the annual report with a predicted state of saturation Grade 1.

Also, as a general criterion, among the possible actions on an existing ERM/EM that is saturated, the most economical option will always be proposed whenever technically possible, except for aspects of Connected distribution network vulnerability advises an alternate point of supply.

The proposal for actions to be carried out should be sufficient to meet the expected increase in demand in this network for the next five years.

The GTS may request, if deemed necessary, additional information to the carrier or distributor and, in turn, the carrier/distributor may provide the additional information it deems appropriate and in a manner Confidential directly to the GTS.

With all the data received from the carriers, the GTS will produce a final report, which will include both the technical adequacy proposals and their economic estimation, as well as an assessment of the suitability of the of the same. That report shall be forwarded to the Ministry of Energy, Energy and Tourism Secretariat before 30 September of each year.

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