The legislation leaves, for the first five working years of APETRA, an individual stockholding obligation with the registered oil companies. This is the case when a company puts in consumption in the previous year more than 100.000 tons of a given product category. The stockholding obligation above this obligation-free threshold is expressed in days and amounts until 31/3/2012 to 3 days to be reduced to zero as of 1/4/2012. 

Companies with a lack of working stocks to meet their individual stockholding obligation can purchase and stock additional volumes or have the missing quantities held by APETRA against remuneration. This in conformity with article 4, § 3, of the Law of 26 january 2006.

Conditions for the reservation of stocks with APETRA:

1)   Declaration:

The request to APETRA to hold compulsory stocks on behalf of a stockholding oil company must  :

1° be made by a registrered oil company with an individual stockholding obligation toward the Belgian State

• with insufficient operational stocks to cover its own stockholding obligation;
• which does not, for the period of the cover, have stocks as disposition rights under contract with APETRA;
• which does not, for the period of the cover, hold bilateral stocks for a foreign company or entity.    

APETRA will check these conditions with the PFS Economy, Directorate general Energy.

2° be adressed at least on month before the start of the cover period;

3° be made using the approriate request form. To download this form (currently only available in English):  clich here. (38.50 KB) 

4° have a minimum duration of 1 month;

5° concern a quantity expressed in ktons. 

The request will generate a stock coverage agreement between APETRA and the requesting company. APETRA is currently drawing up this agreement and will make this available after approval of its board of directors.

2. Contribution

For the quarter of 1 January 2012 - 31 March 2012 the contribution for the purchase of tickets with APETRA will, for contracts with a duration of at least 3 months, be:   

• cat I:   4,78 euro/ton/month;
• cat II:  4,70 euro/ton/month;
• cat III: 3,33 euro/ton/month.

 For contracts with a duration of less than three months a surplus of 20% will be charged. This because APETRA itselfs tenders only every three months and will have to tender specifically for these contracts.

3. Payment:

APETRA will draw up each month, at the end of a coverage month, an invoice. This invoice is payable within 15 days after invoice date and this at a specific account and using a structured communication which will both be mentioned on the invoice. On the contribution VAT (21%) is applicable.

NB. This procedure for coverage of an individual stockholding obligation by APETRA is not applicable to automatic coverage by APETRA following a non-respect of an individual stockholding obligation.