INOGATE & Energy standards

Standards enable access to markets and build trust, ensure good practice, increase competitiveness, protect consumers, improve efficiency and reduce risk. They enable technology transfer among countries. Standards should work together with the policies and regulations of companies, countries and regions. Where they are incompatible, consensus-building is essential to adopt and accept standards.

The lack of harmonisation of codes and practices in the electricity and gas sector are major obstacles to the convergence of energy markets between the EU and INOGATE Partner Countries (PCs). The old Soviet system, based on GOST standards, is being replaced by a new, voluntary system of standards which will reflect more fully the national standards of a country as used by its industry and its various stakeholders. Harmonisation with EU and International standards requires the adoption of new standards, amendment of existing technical regulations and development of new secondary legislation.

Since 2008, INOGATE has facilitated the adoption of 12 Euro-Asian Standardization Council (EASC) Inter-State gas standards by INOGATE PCs; they were based on translated EU and International standards. In addition to these Inter-State standards, EASC also provided the PCs with 100 translations of standards previosuly carried out by the INOGATE project. These standards are at different stages of adoption and readiness in PCs and are slowly being included as part of the National Standardisation Programmes for their adoption as national standards.

To prepare countries for this step, a series of seminars, conferences and study tours have been organised to familiarise PC delegates involved in standardization with how EU standardization systems work, the international bodies responsible for standardization (ISO, CEN/CENELEC, BSI) and important private companies that establish standards for industry around the world. INOGATE is supporting the establishment of technical committees on gas and electricity for the sustainable and effective harmonisation of specific standards in each INOGATE Partner Country.