SUKAP (Plinacro) Gas Transmission Capacity Management – Development & Migration

The complexity lay in the web of integrations that had to remain fully functional throughout the transformation. The system communicates with more than fifteen external platforms, including HROTE ROMM, GEMA Logic, ENTSOG Transparency, REMIT, PRISMA, RBP, PIS, SCADA, and others; each requiring specific protocols, security mechanisms, and continuity guarantees. Every integration represented a potential point of failure while at the same time being mission-critical.

In parallel, we faced growing regulatory demands. The European Union was continuously introducing new directives and regulations on renewable gas, natural gas, and hydrogen markets, while ENTSOG network codes were evolving and expanding. Our systems not only had to comply with current requirements but also remain flexible enough to adapt to future changes without massive interventions or operational disruptions.

Operational continuity was an absolute imperative; no upgrade activity could disrupt the daily processes of the gas market. The market never stops, and our systems power daily activities such as capacity booking, nominations for system usage, measured gas allocation, fee calculations, and dozens of other critical processes.

Security requirements became stricter as well, particularly in the context of new regulations on supply security and market abuse prevention. We had to implement two-factor authentication, secure communication protocols, data protection, and integration with advanced identity management systems. Scalability and performance were equally crucial: the systems must support hundreds of simultaneous users and massive volumes of real-time data without performance degradation, all while remaining flexible for inevitable future changes in this highly dynamic regulatory environment.

Architectural improvements introduced a modular structure for easier maintenance and upgrades, supported by standardized project management through Apache Maven. Continuous integration and automated testing boosted development quality and minimized errors. Database and SQL query optimization led to major performance improvements.

Security measures included implementing two-factor authentication via Cisco ISE and Entrust IdentityGuard, significantly increasing access security. OAuth2 protocol and single sign-on enabled unified, secure user access, while secure SOAP integrations with Basic HTTP authentication ensured protected communication with external systems. Web application protection via F5 BIG-IP firewalls and regular library security patches further strengthened the system’s perimeter.

Integrations with external systems were one of the most challenging yet successful parts of the project. We implemented complex networks of both one-way and two-way integrations with over 15 systems, using Quartz jobs for automated data retrieval with retry mechanisms to ensure uninterrupted communication. Fallback features, allowing manual XML upload in case of technical issues, provided additional continuity safeguards. The EDIGAS Gateway solution enabled secure AS2/AS4 communication with European systems, while DB links maintained local communication with internal systems such as PIS and SCADA.