"[This will be] the first time in Europe that a cross-border network development approach will be carried out in this way by a fully unbundled cross-border asset owner. This integrated approach aims to synchronize capacity development on both sides of the border and, as a result, will provide business opportunities for customers," the companies said. "In offering this integral concept of network development to its customers, Gasunie fully recognizes the cross-border nature that characterizes today's natural gas marketing business to a large extent." The 'open season' procedure bundles the needs of individual customers for additional capacity into a single investment programme, which has the added benefit of minimizing the impact of environmental planning. Customers enter into contractual obligations to abstract the capacity they require in the future, and this provides the economic basis for their investment. The Gasunie companies point out that the process has been successfully carried out in the Netherlands several times, and can be tailored to provide a broad range of solutions for customers' needs. The significance of international transport is increasing due to gas market growth and due to the shift from indigenous gas supply to imports from countries outside the EU, such as Norway, Russia, and various LNG supply areas. Gasunie Deutschland is experiencing increasing interest from shippers for transport capacity in its system, the companies said. Market players are considering new gas projects in Northern Germany, ranging from power plants to storage, and all of these will require access to the gas transport system. In addition, declining indigenous gas production in the region will have to be replaced by supplies from elsewhere, leading to growth in demand for additional transportation capacity. The market demand for transport capacity is steadily rising in the Netherlands as well, partly due to increasing demand from power stations, LNG-development, and storage connections. A major investment project for network expansion, based on an earlier open season, is already under way in the Netherlands. The initial phase of market screening is planned to be launched soon in order to assess market demand on the basis of preliminary responses from interested companies at the end of 2008. Firm capacity bookings by shippers are foreseen by the Autumn next year. Gasunie's pipeline network in the Netherlands and Germany is over 15,000km in length and, with a throughput of almost 125bn cum/yr, it ranks as one of the most extensive high-pressure networks in Europe. In July this year, Gasunie took over ownership of the network operated by the former gas transport division of BEB and EMFG in Germany, which is now functioning under the name Gasunie Deutschland, who now has a network of 3100km in the region.