In practice, Energinet.dk is responsible for sufficient gas being available in Denmark in emergency situations. In such events, Energinet.dk takes over the gas supply responsibility from the commercial players. 

Thus, Energinet.dk covers a number of scenarios for gas supply to the Danish gas consumers. Energinet.dk has notified the Danish Energy Authority of two incidents of design contingencies, ie Energinet.dk covers

• a 3-day scenario with total interruption of gas delivery from the North Sea
  in the coldest winter day (average temperature -14°C for 3 days)

       and also covers

• a 60-day scenario with rupture of submarine cables during average winter conditions.

Energinet.dk secures this by means of a considerable storage volume ordered by Energinet.dk, storage filling restrictions and reservations in alternative submarine cables.

On 1 October 2007 Energinet.dk introduced a new emergency-supply concept.

The fundamental principle of the emergency-supply concept is that all con-sumers pay the same tariff for Energinet.dk's supply of gas in an emergency-supply situation. It could be compared with an insurance premium. By way of novelty, emergency supply is paid for in the form of a volume-based tariff, which ensures consumer transparency into the emergency supply payment.

The big consumers, which are the ones eligible for purchasing secondary emergency supply, conclude an agreement to that effect direct with Energinet.dk and obtain a separate discount on the emergency supply payment. This discount is paid by Energinet.dk direct to the relevant consumers. Concluding these bilateral agreements on secondary emergency supply with the big consumers, Energi-net.dk is able to control the exact interruptible quantities of gas and live up to the responsibility of ensuring security of supply on the Danish gas market.