Raw&Refined Commodities s.r.o. - Slovakia

Raw&Refined Commodities s.r.o. was formed in August 2010 and licensed to trade natural gas by license No. 2010P0152 dated 8.12.2010. Raw&Refined Commodities s.r.o. is going to start trading natural gas in Slovak Republic in the beginning of 2011.

The Slovakian gas transport system is an important part in the supply of Russian natural gas to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, as it has a high transit capacity. The main consumers of natural gas in Slovakia are the big manufacturing companies, whose usage is over 70% of the gas supplied.  The State vertically-integrated company Slovensky Plynarensky Priemysel (SPP) takes a dominant role in the distribution and supply of gas to the Slovakian market. SPP has a 51% holding by the Government, while 49% is held by Slovak Gas Holding BV, itself controlled by Ruhrgas and Gaz de France.

Today, Slovakia finds itself an importer of Polish, Czech and Ukrainian electricity. The largest local generator of electricity is a Public Company, Slovenské elektrárne, which has a 66% holding by the Italian group ENEL. All the producers and consumers of electricity are able to freely buy and sell electricity in an open market.

Reliability

The European grid is unified and works in a parallel regime. Its synchronization is dependent on the system operators (TSOs), who use the grid and who have to pay especial attention to all issues of reliability, safety and security. Raw&Refined Commodities works very closely with the TSOs to meet every requirement and regulation, and to ensure maximum power at minimum risk, with minimal interruption to any work in parallel by UCTE or losses of power by them.

Flexibility

The group is structured to allow flexibility in its activities and to permit operational decisions to be easily made.