SHERIDAN, WYOMING - April 9, 2026 - LNG market participants operating under EU jurisdiction now face revised data reporting requirements as the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) updates its guidance on LNG market data submission and launches a dedicated Expert Group to refine price assessment methodology.
Updated LNG reporting guidance under REMIT
ACER's revised guidance directly addresses how market participants must submit data used to generate the agency's daily LNG price assessment and daily LNG benchmark. Both instruments are intended to provide reliable reference points that reflect actual trading conditions in the EU wholesale gas market, reducing the scope for pricing opacity that regulators have flagged as a systemic risk.
The updated guidance introduces specific clarification on free on board (FOB) transaction reporting. In FOB arrangements, cargo ownership transfers from seller to buyer at the point of loading, making the buyer responsible for transport and onward delivery. ACER now requires market participants to report detailed information about the loading facility where LNG is transferred to a vessel, closing a reporting gap that previously left FOB transactions underspecified in submitted datasets.
REMIT framework and forthcoming regulatory revision
The guidance sits within the Regulation on Wholesale Energy Market Integrity and Transparency (REMIT), the EU-wide framework that governs detection and deterrence of abuse in wholesale energy markets. ACER's reporting requirements are binding on market participants who trade LNG in EU wholesale markets, covering both physical and financial transactions linked to LNG cargo flows.
A further revision to the guidance is already anticipated. ACER has confirmed the current update will be revisited once the recast REMIT Implementing Regulation is published in the Official Journal of the EU. That revision will incorporate new reporting requirements arising from the recast regulation and will integrate stakeholder input collected through ongoing consultations. Market participants should plan for a second compliance adjustment cycle within the current regulatory timeline.
New Expert Group to strengthen price benchmark methodology
Alongside the guidance update, ACER is establishing a new Expert Group specifically focused on LNG price assessments and benchmarks. The group is designed to serve as a structured platform for discussion and technical input from market participants, helping ACER calibrate the methodology it uses to produce its daily LNG price assessment and benchmark. The initiative follows earlier consultation work and responds to feedback indicating that evolving market practices require continuous refinement of the pricing methodology.
The Expert Group will feed directly into ACER's ongoing mandate under REMIT to deliver reliable wholesale energy market indicators. By drawing on practitioner knowledge of cargo flows, loading facilities, and trading structures, the group is expected to improve the accuracy and representativeness of LNG price indicators that underpin market surveillance and contract benchmarking across the EU.
Business impact
LNG trading desks and compliance officers at companies active in EU wholesale gas markets must update their data submission workflows to align with the revised FOB reporting requirements immediately. The clarification on loading facility data means that back-office systems feeding REMIT reporting pipelines need to capture and transmit facility-level transaction detail that was not previously mandated, requiring both technical reconfiguration and staff retraining ahead of the next compliance cycle.
Energy procurement leads and supply chain officers sourcing LNG for industrial or utility consumption should treat the new daily benchmark as an operational pricing reference. With ACER's price assessment now reflecting actual trading conditions under tighter data standards, procurement teams can use the benchmark to validate contract pricing and assess counterparty terms more rigorously. The forthcoming recast REMIT Implementing Regulation will trigger a second compliance review, meaning vendor selection for regulatory reporting solutions and technology roadmap decisions for trading infrastructure should account for a further update cycle within the 2026-2027 window.