The Third Gas LiberalisationPackage and Directive: Challengesto the Implementation ofFunctional and Legal Unbundlingin the Gas Storage Sector

歐盟第三天然氣自由化包裹及指令──於天然氣「儲槽」部門實施功能與法律解制之挑戰

為促進歐盟能源市場之競爭，歐盟在2007年9月提出第三能源產業自由化立法包裹草案。雖然該包裹全方位地處理天然氣與電力市場之諸多議題，但各方之關切焦點，僅侷限在於輸電及輸氣產業引進備受爭議之「所有權解制」（ownership unbundling）制度，及其對能源供應安全之重大衝擊。經初步文獻回顧後，發現到大量文獻均著重於天然氣「輸送」（transportation）部門解制議題之探討，僅少數文獻探討該包裹內即將強化天然氣「儲槽」（storage）部門解制管制議題。這些文獻已初步指出未來在實施功能解除與法律解制過程中，可能面臨之挑戰。本文則是在此基礎上，更進一步地詳細實際操作並模擬在天然氣儲槽部門引進功能與法律解制制度之可能情境（在天然氣儲槽部門及液化天然氣儲槽部門分別有四個及八個可能情境）。既然目前第三天然氣指令已經通過，且已於2011年3月3日生效，當前恰好是深入評估功能與法律解制之實際施行之良好時機。經實際模擬後，本文發現，複雜的功能解制之具體規則，恐影響其於儲槽部門之實際施行。此外，本論文也從歐盟過去天然氣輸氣部門適用法律與功能解制之實際經驗，對引進功能與法律解制措施，是否當真能促進儲槽部門之開放通聯，提出質疑。實際上，若要有助於加速並促進儲槽部門之開放通聯，在政策工具之選擇上，本文建議，應採取「直接」強化開放通聯制度公開性與透明性之管制工具──揚棄既有開放程度及強制性較低之「協商式開放通聯」（negotiated third party access）模式，引進管制式開放通聯制度（regulated third party access）──，而非透過功能與法律解制等間接且在第二天然氣指令已經證實失敗之管制工具。最後，本文亦透過有系統方式，整理並類型化在歐洲能源產業自由化過程中相當重視但向來台灣規劃能源事業自由化之過程中，較為忽略之功能及法律解制之制度內涵，希冀對台灣今年相當熱門之能源產業自由化之法學研究有所助益。

In order to facilitate competition in the European energy market, thethird energy liberalisation package was announced by the European Commissionin September 2007. Since that time, much attention has been paidto the controversial introduction of ownership unbundling in the transportationnetwork and its implications for energy security, even though thepackage considers a wide range of issues relevant to the liberalisation ofboth gas and electricity markets. In addition, compared with the largeamount of literature investigating gas transportation unbundling, only afew preliminary studies have addressed the issue of gas storage unbundling.Based on the findings in these studies, there may be several challengesto implementing the functional and legal unbundling regime. Becausethe third Gas Directive has been passed and came into effect on3 March 2011, an evaluation of the potential implementation issues of thefunctional and legal unbundling in the storage sector is now relevant andtimely. To this end, we present four scenarios of the implementation in thestorage sector and eight scenarios of the implementation in LNG storagesector. This article contends that the complicated rules of functional unbundlingmay impede its practical implementation in the storage sectors. Inaddition, it challenges the effectiveness of legal and functional unbundlingin facilitating an open-access regime and suggests the introduction of aregulated third-party access regime instead.