The Czech government has authorised the country’s state-owned power transmission system operator (TSO) ČEPS to buy the national gas TSO NET4GAS, citing energy security concerns. NET4GAS is currently owned by a consortium formed by Allianz (50%) and Borealis (50%), an affiliate of the Austrian energy group OMV. The company owns and operates over 4,000 km of gas pipelines that transmit around 45 bcm/year of gas through the Czech territory, and operates three border transfer stations, five compression stations and a hundred transfer stations for further gas distribution. NET4GaAS holds an exclusive license for the transmission of natural gas in Czechia.
In August 2023, the Czechian government decided to nationalise RWE Gas Storage CZ, the country's main storage company owned by the German energy group RWE. RWE's affiliate, which holds an underground storage capacity of 2.7 bcm that represents more than 3/4 of the country’s gas storage capacity, will be acquired through ČEPS to ensure the country’s energy security in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.