Using the data supplied by the gas industry, our daily processes calculate Unidentified Gas (UIG) levels. UIG is an amount of gas that cannot be directly attributed to any system user. A major part of our work is supporting the gas industry to understand, manage and resolve UIG in a better way.
Understanding Unidentified Gas
In our role of managing the Supply Points database, we provide:
- Forecasts of current day gas demand per system user
- Forecasts of next-day gas demand per system user
- Allocation of the total actual system usage
This work groups sites by geographical location and size of their typical annual usage.
This process is designed to make daily gas allocation fair and transparent, and to reveal UIG levels.
However, with less than 20% of annual usage and around 1,000 sites submitting daily reads into the allocation process, the remainder of gas is allocated based on estimates and sample data.
UIG is also corrected over an extended period of time. This means higher and less predictable levels of UIG than expected and significant challenges for gas shippers.
The UIG Task Force
The gas industry has asked us to lead on fixing the problem, and our UIG Task Force is investigating and making recommendations on how to reduce UIG levels and volatility. We have increased our analytical capability by working with our external analytics partner, which has allowed us to use advanced technology. This, in turn, helped us to:
- Investigate and report on the causes of and contributors to Unidentified Gas
- Make suggestions to the industry on how levels and/or volatility of Unidentified Gas might be reduced.
Below are links to all updates shared with customers and industry colleagues regarding Task Force publications.
Download the LATEST UIG Investigations Log – 07th June 2019
Unidentified Gas (UIG) Xoserve Task Force Investigation Guide – February 2019
The UIG Task Force has put together an Investigation Guide, describing the areas we have investigated so far and why they are important to UIG. It details the results of each finding and how much UIG they can explain, as well as Xoserve's recommendations on how the industry can work to resolve the issue.
Unidentified Gas (UIG) – Task Force Investigation Guide – February 2019
Last updated on 15 Feb 2019Task Force Publications
Below are links to all updates shared with customers and industry colleagues regarding Task Force publications.
Issue 13 – Simulation of Impact of ALP and DAF Uplift Factors to UIG – 22nd August 2018
Last updated on 22 Aug 2018XCE1750 UIG Task Force Update – Issues Management Tracker – 16th August 2018
Last updated on 16 Aug 2018UIG Task Force Findings/Recommendations
The UIG Task Force, working with their external data analytics partner, has completed a detailed analysis of what were thought to be the contributors to Unidentified Gas.
Sprints 1-6 are now complete, and a set of findings has been created to share our workings with customers and industry colleagues.
You can read our findings and, where appropriate, recommendations below. You can also view our drafted modifications.
Please click here to review our Live UIG Modification Interactions pack, this is to aid understanding on the interactions of the live UIG Modifications.
Drafted Modifications
Findings and Recommendations
Recommendations Tracker
As well as our own Findings and Recommendations reports, we now have a Recommendations Tracker.
This will be used to monitor all recommendations and progress with our customers.
It is an Excel spreadsheet which is updated at least once a month, and will always be published on the Joint Office website.
Useful Links
- Joint Office of Gas Transporters – Unidentified Gas Working Group
- Joint Office of Gas Transporters – Change Management Committee
- Joint Office of Gas Transporters – Contract Management Committee
- Joint Office of Gas Transporters – AUG Sub-Committee
- Interim UIG Reporting
- Reconciliation by Month – November 2020
Also available, from Education and Resources:
If you have a query or want to talk to our UIG Task Force, why not send us an email?
Thank you for your feedback
