PSI provides a complete, integrated gas management system which is however modular so that particular applications can be easily

interfaced with other vendor systems. This highly available and reliable system has been developed with evolving gas business requirements in mind and ensures that the interaction between procurement, dispatching, transportation, shipping, trading and planning and billing personnel is optimised. Functions include contract management, dispatch planning, consumption forecasting, simulation (reconstruction, look-ahead, what-if), optimisation, leak detection and location and gas quality tracking. The system features a discreet client concept which, combined with an authorisation protocol ensures complete access protection for data held in the system and the PSI server platform which is constructed upon parallel architecture with high redundancy levels ensures outstanding availability. PSI software is developed to run on any combination of MS Windows, Linux and UNIX and utilises a standard Oracle database for data storage. Very flexible navigation options and display construction in various languages ensure high levels of operator usability.

Gas Analysing and Planning System

The PSIGaps system was initially developed for the Verbundnetz Gas AG in Leipzig, Germany. The system has been in operation since the beginning of 2002. The major tasks of PSIGaps include:

Methods for commercial planning of gas purchase and sales business (e.g. volume and capacity balances, analyses of volumes, capacities and prices, minimum price determination, cost analysis, margin analysis) Cost optimisation for the utilisation of gas purchase contracts taking into account constraints and restrictions Analysis tools and methods for assessment of sales and purchase projects Risk management tools (e.g. to support the compliance with the German law KonTraG) Analysis tools and methods for the assessment of active and future contracts Tools for managing imbalances for medium and long term gas operations Tools and methods for storage assessment

REN Gasodutos is the single Portuguese Transmission System Operator (TSO), whereby it is responsible for the operation of the high pressure transmission system. On the other hand, REN Gasodutos is also responsible for performing the Global Technical Management of the National Natural Gas Transmission System, as Gas System Manager. As Gas System Manager, REN Gasodutos seeks to integrate the operation of the different infrastructures of National Natural Gas System, while also ensuring public service obligations related to security of supply, in terms of monitoring the establishment and maintenance of security gas reserves by commercialization companies, as well as providing open, transparent and non-discriminatory TPA to NG infrastructures. The preparation of an integrated proposal of the National Natural Gas System development planning and its corresponding submission to the National Energy Directorate, which occurs every three years, is also an important task of the Gas System Manager. As a TSO, REN Gasodutos is responsible for monitoring the balance between NG demand and supply, and checking it against available capacity throughout the different scheduling processes, in order to ensure an efficient and cost-effective use of NG infrastructures. A checking mechanism has been implemented, linking scheduling and assignment processes, with a view to ensure the overall feasibility of the system. From a technical perspective, REN Gasodutos offers to the market all available capacity over a given period of time, by managing pressure levels as well as performing residual system balancing between intakes and offtakes, in order to maintain the transmission system's integrity, while providing a reliable service to shippers.