Delgaz Grid says its Romania gas network is “fully ready for biogas”

Delgaz Grid has announced that its natural gas distribution network - spanning more than 26,000 kilometres - is fully prepared to handle biogas and is largely suitable for hydrogen use.
Around 70% of the system is made up of polyethylene pipelines, which the company says can already accommodate hydrogen blends.
The update was shared at a roundtable on green gases held on 4 December in Târgu Mureș, organised by Delgaz Grid, part of the E.ON Group, in partnership with the Romanian Business Leaders Foundation.
The company currently has three projects under way focused on biomethane and hydrogen, technologies it views as vital to Romania’s energy transition alongside renewable power.
National targets underline this direction. Romania’s Energy Strategy foresees biomethane making up 5% of the natural gas network by 2030 and 10% by 2050.
Meanwhile, the National Hydrogen Strategy supports the use of hydrogen blended with natural gas - or as a pure fuel - in heating, and highlights the value of existing infrastructure.
It sets production goals of 49 kt per year by 2027 and 153 kt per year by 2030.
“Decarbonisation is not only an environmental and energy security priority, but also key to economic competitiveness. Natural gas will remain central to Europe’s energy system, particularly as Romania navigates its transition,” said Cristian Secoșan, chief executive of Delgaz Grid.
Romania’s combined gas transport and distribution network extends roughly 75,000 kilometres, with more than 60,000 kilometres dedicated to distribution.
The extensive use of polyethylene pipes makes conversion to hydrogen technically and economically feasible.
Adapting existing networks to be hydrogen-ready is expected to require far less investment than building dedicated hydrogen pipelines.
The company also confirmed that the infrastructure is already fully compatible with biomethane.
Delgaz Grid has begun its hydrogen-readiness work through the 20HyGrid project, which showed that blending hydrogen with natural gas can be done safely within Romania’s current distribution system and with existing household and industrial appliances.