Energinet.dk is obliged to follow stricter approval procedures for one type of customer than for the other.
The approval of players in the electricity market is a fairly simple matter and does not involve much procedural work for Energinet.dk. Basically it requires approval of a bank guarantee of DKK 2 million.
Approval of shippers of natural gas is a far more comprehensive process, as Energinet.dk may incur considerable costs in the event of a shipper's liquidation etc.
Shippers reserve transport capacity in the transmission system. They reserve separate capacity for entering gas into the country (entry) and separate capacity for transfering gas out of Denmark (transit exit) or to the Danish exit zone (ie to the Danish end users of gas via the distribution network). In Denmark, there is only one exit zone covering the entire country. For transportation to the exit zone, a shipper will buy aggregate capacity irrespective of where in Denmark the gas is to be consumed.