Finnish state‑owned Gasum fined €17 million for breaching gas market law

State‑owned energy company Gasum has been ordered by Finland's Market Court to pay a €17 million penalty after the Energy Authority found it had repeatedly violated the natural gas market's separation rules. The court ruled that Gasum deliberately moved assets from its regulated network business to other parts of the company, amounting to several hundred million euros, constituting a planned cross‑subsidy that could distort competition as the gas market opens up.

The violation was identified in a long‑running legal case that began with the Energy Authority’s 2020 request for a €79.7 million sanction. The Market Court concluded that national legislation does not outright ban cross‑subsidies but that they are prohibited under gas market directives, leading to the €17 million fine. The decision highlights regulatory scrutiny of monopolistic utilities and aims to safeguard the financial stability of separated business units during market liberalisation.