The Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) has introduced new rules covering price calculation, bid limits and market transactions to maintain system balance in the natural gas market. The Board decision amends the Organized Wholesale Natural Gas Sales Market Operating Procedures and Principles and was published in the Official Gazette on October 31, 2026.

The changes affect a wide range of areas, from calculating the daily reference price to the balancing transactions carried out by the transmission company.

Daily Reference Price Calculation

Under the new rules, a 50 percent margin limit will apply when calculating the daily natural gas reference price (GRF).

Except for the first gas day of each month, transactions on a given gas day that fall 50 percent below or 50 percent above the most recently published GRF will not be included in the reference price calculation.

As a result, transactions outside the specified price range will not be taken into account when calculating the daily reference price.

Under the new method, transactions starting at 08.00 on the day before the relevant gas day and ending at 08.00 on the day following it will be included in the weighted average price calculation.

The transmission company's additional balancing transactions will also be included in the calculation. The calculated daily reference price will be announced at 08.30 on the day following the relevant gas day.

Limits on Continuous Trading Platform Bids

The volume limits for bids submitted on the Continuous Trading Platform (STP) have also been redefined. Each bid on the platform must be at least 1,000 standard cubic meters.

The maximum bid quantity is capped at 500,000 standard cubic meters, except during the period from 12.00 to 14.05 on each gas day.

During the transmission company's additional balancing transactions on the STP, other market participants' bids in the same direction will be temporarily restricted. These bids will be suspended for a total of 10 minutes, starting 5 minutes before the scheduled transaction time.

Suspension of Market Participants

The rules on suspending market participants' transactions have also been changed. The provisions governing when the market operator may suspend a participant's access to the market, such as failure to meet payment or collateral obligations or failure to correct transactions that violate regulations, have been reorganized.

The market operator's duties on data publication, reporting and information sharing have also been amended.

Effective Dates

According to the EPDK decision, the provisions on suspending market participants' access and on data publication, reporting and information sharing will take effect on January 1, 2027.

The other regulations on the daily reference price calculation, bid limits and balancing transactions entered into force on October 31, 2026.