ADDITIONAL GASIFICATION. LEGAL AND PRACTICAL ASPECTS

The concept of a unified gasification operator was first introduced into Russian legislation at the federal law level in 2021. According to the amendments made by Federal Law No. 184-FZ of June 11, 2021, to Article 2 of Federal Law No. 69-FZ On Gas Supply in the Russian Federation of March 31, 1999, a unified gasification operator is defined as either the owner of the Unified Gas Supply System or any other affiliated organization of the owner of the Unified Gas Supply System. The law provides no additional criteria to characterize this party to economic relations. Given the scope of the assigned tasks, the law places the responsibility on the Government of the Russian Federation to designate a legal entity that will serve as the unified gasification operator, as well as to determine a list of federal territories and constituent entities of the Russian Federation where the unified gasification operator will be authorized to operate. With the adoption of the new Connection Rules in 2021, some of their provisions — considering practical implementation — still require further legislative clarification. This article analyzes the interaction procedures among applicants and all involved parties (supplier, gas distribution organization, regional gasification operator, and specialized organization), and offers recommendations for improvement based on the experience of Gazprom Public Joint-Stock Company