Fast Facts
| Wholesale Trading Licence | No licence required for wholesale gas trading at the ZTP where the trader can evidence its counterparties will not consume the gas in Belgium |
| Federal Supply Licence | Applies to Belgian end users above 1 million m3/year or distribution companies where contracts exceed 3 months |
| Licence Duration and Fee | 5 years; EUR 1,500 examination fee |
| Network Access | Fluxys Standard Transmission Agreement and Balansys Balancing Agreement required for ZTP participation |
| Credit Requirement | Fluxys/Balansys BBB+/Baa1 credit quality or guarantee |
| Market Scale | Demand around 150 TWh; Belgium has no domestic gas production |
Belgium Gas Market Fundamentals
Belgium's gas market has been fully liberalised since 2007, with competitive supply and wholesale activity separated from regulated network operation.
The federal and regional structure matters for market entry. CREG is the federal regulator, while VREG, CWaPE and BRUGEL regulate Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels.
The Zeebrugge Trading Point (ZTP) is Belgium's virtual trading point, functioning as a single H-gas benchmark alongside Dutch-TTF following the merger of physical and notional services. Belgium has no domestic gas production; annual demand stands at around 150 TWh.
When Is a Licence Required in Belgium's Gas Market?
No federal licence is required for wholesale gas trading at the ZTP, provided the trader can evidence that its counterparties will not consume the gas in Belgium. In practice this evidential burden can be difficult to discharge.
A federal supply licence applies only to supplies to Belgian end users of at least 1 million m3 per year or to distribution companies, and only where contracts run longer than three months. CREG assesses applications and advises the Minister, who grants the licence.
Regional supply licences are needed for sales to end users on regional distribution or local transmission grids, but not where the customer connects directly to the national grid.
What Are Belgium's Gas Market Licence Requirements for EU and Non-EU Entities?
EU: No licence or local company is needed for wholesale trading at the ZTP. A federal supply licence is needed only above the consumer-supply thresholds.
Non-EU: Belgium imposes no local entity requirement for wholesale trading, and access to the network and to storage is contractual rather than licence-based, subject to the same Fluxys and Balansys onboarding and credit requirements as for EU traders. Federal supply-licence eligibility is limited to EU/EEA-established persons, so supplying Belgian consumers requires an EU/EEA establishment.
Both EU and non-EU traders must meet Fluxys/Balansys credit requirements: a rating of BBB+/Baa1, or a guarantee.
Balancing in the Belgium Gas Market
Fluxys Belgium is the gas TSO. Balancing across the BeLux area is run by Balansys, owned equally by Fluxys Belgium and Creos Luxembourg.
Balansys operates the integrated BeLux balancing area under the Balancing Agreement and Balancing Code, approved jointly by CREG and Luxembourg's ILR. Network users balance daily using hourly Balansys data.
To trade at ZTP, a shipper registers with Fluxys Belgium and signs both the Standard Transmission Agreement and the Balancing Agreement; no separate Luxembourg contract is required.
Transmission Capacity in the Belgium Gas Market
Fluxys Belgium operates an entry/exit transmission system across roughly 4,000 km of pipelines and four compressor stations, governed by the Access Code for Transmission.
Belgium has eight cross-border interconnection points. The L-gas points now serve onward transit to France, since Belgian L-gas demand ended following completion of the conversion to H-gas. Most capacity products are booked through PRISMA.
Before booking, a trader must obtain an Energy Identification Code via ENTSO-E or Fluxys. Capacity can be subscribed on the primary market or traded on the secondary market, subject to creditworthiness requirements.
Belgium Gas Market Exchange(s)
The ZTP Trading Service, provided by Fluxys, lets network users exchange gas title within the Fluxys Belgium area. Since the October 2023 merger, it has functioned as a single H-gas reference point. The service covers title tracking, nomination, matching, balance checks, confirmation and imbalance transfer.
Gas title can be traded OTC bilaterally, or anonymously on the EEX platform, which provides clearing services; unbalanced buy/sell positions transfer to the Network User's balancing position.
To access ZTP, the trader completes the ZTP Trading Services Request Form and sends it to Fluxys, who then confirms the start of services. Services are subscribed for an unlimited duration from the start date, with no end date.
5 Market Entry Steps for Belgium Gas Market
- 01No licence needed for wholesale gas trading at the ZTP, subject to evidencing counterparty non-consumption in Belgium.
- 02Obtain an EIC via ENTSO-E or Fluxys and register as a shipper on PRISMA.
- 03Onboard with Fluxys, complete KYC and sign the Standard Transmission Agreement.
- 04Register with Balansys, sign the Balancing Agreement and meet credit requirements.
- 05Subscribe to ZTP Trading Services and set up OTC or EEX trading.
- Post-Market Entry Reporting Obligations.
CorreggioNET, Belgium Gas Market Access Report
Market Access Reports: CorreggioNET offers Pre-Market Entry Reports (PMER) as part of the PMER Library, providing firms with an A-to-Z guide for market entry.
CorreggioNET Alert Service: Helps you never miss a reporting obligation. Note that Belgium has multiple gas market reporting obligations across CREG, Fluxys and the DGE, with a complex regulatory landscape. The Alert Service ensures you never miss a deadline.
CorreggioNET Hotline: For your time-sensitive queries, the Regulatory Hotline Service provides direct support through an online interaction with a qualified regulatory specialist.
Consulting Solutions: For those firms which require additional assistance, Correggio Consulting is on hand to assist with all your licensing needs:
- Market entry & registration in Belgium;
- Federal supply-licence applications to CREG and regional licences to VREG, CWaPE and BRUGEL;
- Fluxys STA and Balansys BA onboarding;
- PRISMA capacity registration;
- ZTP / EEX trading setup;
- Corporate structuring;
- EFET contract negotiation;
- Yearly compliance audits.
Market Info
Stay Compliant After Market Entry
Entering a new market is only the beginning.
Once trading activity starts, the real challenge is staying compliant with ongoing regulatory updates and reporting obligations. CorreggioNET supports this post-market entry stage through its regulatory platform and monitoring services.
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