Unbundling
Unbundling is a term with several meanings for the gas industry but more accurately, and originally, it was used to denote the separation of different services and the charges associated with them. Originally used in the US in restructuring the telephone industry , it was adopted in the gas industry to denote the separation of gas sales from transportation and storage services. This is still the most usual meaning of the term, particularly in North America, where large customers are now free to purchase gas and services separately. However the European Commission uses the term Unbundling to mean the financial disaggregation of different functions within integrated companies, such as transmission and marketing. Where companies perform multiple functions, the Commission has sought to require separate accounting for the functions. Its aim is therefore much more related towards Transparency and eliminating the potential for anti-competitive cross subsidisation activities.