Explanatory note

These Regulations amend the Gas (Calculation of Thermal Energy) Regulations 1996 (“the Principal Regulations”).

Regulation 5 of these Regulations provides for the adoption by a public gas transporter of an alternative method of calculating daily calorific values of gas conveyed to premises, or to pipe-line systems operated by other public gas transporters, by inserting a new regulation 3(3) in the Principal Regulations. The amended regulation provides that, subject to notifying the Director and relevant licence holders and complying with stipulations requiring the provision of apparatus and equipment for recording volumes of gas at particular points, the safe keeping of volume records and allowing gas examiners inspection facilities, the daily calorific values of gas conveyed to take off points are to be calculated in accordance with the new regulation 4A inserted in the Principal Regulations by regulation 7 of these Regulations.

The new Regulation 4A provides for the calculation of the daily calorific values on the basis of the average calorific values measured at particular points weighted according to the volumes of gas flowing past those points subject to a limit based on the lowest calorific value of gas conveyed to consumers.

Regulations 9, 10 and 11 of these Regulations respectively amend Regulations 6, 10(2)(b) and 13 of the Principal Regulations so that the right to inspect determinations or results of tests at places or premises where the determinations were made or the tests carried out (as opposed to the right to make such inspections at an office reasonably accessible to the public) is available only to relevant licence holders.

Regulation 12 of these Regulations provides for the extension to 400 metres above sea level of the table of deductions in pressure for heights used in the calculation of the pressure conversion factor under Part I of the Schedule to the Principal Regulations.