France Gas & Power Market Access
France Gas Market Access
What is the lead time to begin trading in the French gas market?
8-10 months
What are the licencing requirements to trade in France’s gas market?
The natural gas and LNG supply and trading activity is subject to ministerial authorization under article L.443-1 of the Energy Code. Any company that sells and/or purchases gas in France, particularly at the TRF (formerly PEG) hub requires a licence, even if their activity is purely on wholesale. This includes those suppling industrial customers by LNG truck or barges. The scope of the license includes trading at TRF and end-customer supply. The process can be viewed here on the website of the relevant Ministry.
France gas market supply (and trading) licence format
An application dossier must be completed, allowing the regulator, CRE, to assess the applicant's technical, economic and financial capabilities.
Is there an application fee for obtaining a gas supply licence in France?
The licence processing is at no cost to the applicant. Applicants must be EU domiciled, commercial staff must reside in Europe. Non-EU companies are permitted in case of specific treaties. This applies for UK resident companies and Swiss resident companies.
How long is a French gas supply licence valid for?
Once awarded a supply licence is permanent, however the licence can be revoked if it has not been utilised for over two years. Furthermore, suppliers need to fill out a yearly supplier form
Are there any additional requirements for non-EU firms to trade France’s gas market?
Whilst Frances licencing does not specify additional requirements for non-EU firms, it should be noted that According to Article R443-2-1 the human and material resources implemented by the applicant to ensure the supply of natural gas to its customers must be installed on the territory of a Member State of the European Union or of another State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area or to any other agreement having an equivalent effect or to any other agreement providing for the supply of energy. Thus, a local presence within the EEA is required.
Furthermore access to one of the two TSO’s network requires a guaranteed payment, if the amount exceeds Euro 100,000 then an EU headquarters is required.
What are the requirements to access the TSO’s network?
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Firstly, a supplier licence
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A financial guarantee – Euro 100,000 by default or greater depending on expected transaction amounts. The guaranteeing bank or entity must be EU-based.
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Obtain an EIC-Y code for supply and off-take points.
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Signature of the transmission contract with GRTgaz.
What are the French gas market TSO and what is the process to access it?
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The French TSOs are called NaTran and Teréga. NaTran is part of the ENGIE Group and is the dominant TSO, with interconnection points with all of trading and supplying countries, except for Spain. Teréga, in which Total has a shareholding, serves France’s southwest. The application process takes 2-4 weeks and requires the following steps à
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The process also involves demonstrating knowledge of TSO’s network code. Additional steps are needed if access is needed to storage facilities, LNG terminals, or interconnection points (usually needed since France does not produce any fossil natural gas).
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Gas market access steps
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Obtain a French natural gas supply licence under Article L.443-1 of the Energy Code (required for any gas purchasing or selling activity in France, including TRF trading and LNG truck or barge supply).
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Prepare and submit the supply licence application dossier to the DGEC, demonstrating adequate technical, economic, and financial capabilities.
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Ensure a physical presence within the EEA, as required by Article R443-2-1 for the human and material resources used to supply natural gas.
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Ensure compliance with NaTran or Teréga (the relevant TSO) access rules, with a baseline guarantee of EUR 100,000 unless the intention is to trade only on the hub.
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Put in place the financial guarantee required by the relevant TSO: EUR 20,000 for delivery only to own industrial facilities, or EUR 100,000+ for broader activities depending on expected volumes.
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Obtain an Energy Identification Code (EIC) for identification within European gas market systems.
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Sign the transmission contract with the relevant TSO to obtain physical access to the French gas network.
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Set-up of dispatching provision (nominations, scheduling, balancing, metering, allocations) as with any TSO.
French Power Market Access
What is the licence lead time to begin trading the physical French power market
4-6months
What are the licencing requirements to enter the French power market?
No specific trading license requirements apply to wholesale electricity trading in France. However, applicants looking to trade physical power need to have an appointed Responsible Balancing Party.
The first step to accessing power and gas markets is to register as a market participant
with ACER via the ACER site.
Are there licencing requirements to supply power to French customers?
An administrative supply licence is required not only for suppliers selling to end-consumers or to network operators to cover network losses; since July 2023, this obligation has also applied to power generators engaging in such sales
There are additional requirements if supplying to residential end-consumers.. More information on the administrative supply licence at the following link
How to access French Network Services?
The contract to access RTE’s network is called the CART (Contrat d’Accès au Système de Transmission). The CART is for generators or suppliers, large consumers, and DSOs. Prior to implementing a CART, one must have:
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A connection agreement: the agreement depends on the applicant’s type as generator, consumer, or DSO;
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A technical operating and implementation agreement;
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A balance responsible party attachment agreement in the case of a consumer or generator;
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A scheduling agent attachment agreement if you are a generator. From the TSO’s perspective, entities engaged in physical trading are considered to be scheduling agents.
What are the requirements for Responsible Balancing Party Status (RBP) in the French power market?
To operate as a Balance Responsible Party in France, market participants must complete the registration process with RTE and demonstrate their technical, legal, and financial capability to take on balancing responsibility. In broad terms, applicants must:
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Register with RTE and complete the initial suitability assessment for participation in the balancing mechanism.
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Obtain an Energy Identification Code (EIC), which is required for identification across European energy networks.
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Submit an BRP application with the necessary corporate documentation and declarations requested by RTE.
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Provide banking guarantees that meet RTE’s minimum requirements to ensure the applicant can cover potential imbalances.
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Conclude any necessary agreements with distribution system operators (DSOs) if the applicant manages generation or consumption assets connected at distribution level.
These requirements ensure that all BRPs can manage their balancing responsibilities and interact reliably with the French power system. Further procedural detail, templates, and compliance guidance are available through our market access services.
Is BRP status necessary in the French Power market?
In principle, a company can choose a third party Balancing Responsible Party (BRP) from the list of RTE-approved ones. The operator of a power generation facility wishing to sell into the spot power market or benefit from a fixed price for its output may also subcontract its BRP obligation to one of the third-party service providers active in France.
Is BRP status necessary in the French Power market?
In principle, a company can choose a third party Balancing Responsible Party (BRP) from the list of RTE-approved ones. The operator of a power generation facility wishing to sell into the spot power market or benefit from a fixed price for its output may also subcontract its BRP obligation to one of the third-party service providers active in France.
Where is the French power market traded?
The generation capacity auctions for the French power market take place on the EPEX Spot exchange. EPEX Spot also offers continuous trading.
What are the requirements to participate in the EPEX Spot to trade the French Power market?
Market participants wishing to trade French power on EPEX Spot must complete a series of registrations and operational arrangements with the relevant system operator, the exchange, and the clearinghouse. In summary, applicants must:
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Hold the necessary agreements with RTE, including balancing responsibility and nomination arrangements, either directly or via delegation.
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Register and certify their traders with EPEX Spot, which includes completing the exchange’s training and passing the trader qualification exam.
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Complete membership with the clearinghouse ECC, which requires passing standard KYC checks and demonstrating the organisation’s intended trading scope.
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Establish the required IT connectivity to EPEX Spot’s trading systems and the associated data interfaces used for order submission and market information.
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Open a clearing account with one of ECC’s approved clearing members to enable settlement of trades.
Once admitted, trades executed on the day-ahead and intraday markets are cleared and settled through ECC, which coordinates with TSOs to confirm physical delivery across participating European markets.
For detailed procedural guidance, document requirements, and timelines, our full market access advisory service provides comprehensive support.
Correggio Consulting Market Access Services
At Correggio Consulting, we offer a range of specialist services rooted in a profound understanding of the energy industry. Our service is underpinned by an extensive knowledge and experience of European and global markets at all levels of the value chain.
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