Delgaz Grid, part of the E.ON group in Romania, will launch three pilot projects in the coming period, for the first time, through which it aims to contribute to the development of the green gas sector and decarbonization solutions.
The first, particularly important project, BioMethaneMix, aims to obtain biomethane by conditioning biogas production (produced in wastewater treatment plants/industrial platforms), validating the process steps from a technical point of view and injecting biomethane into a section of a natural gas supply system.
For a minimum of six months, the supply of the biomethane and natural gas mixture will be tested on the model of functional projects: at European level, measuring volumes, analyzing the quality of the mixture, for billing purposes, using technologies.
The project will be implemented starting next year and is expected to be completed in 2027. Biomethane is an important source of green energy, given its neutral effect on climate change. It has similar characteristics to natural gas and is obtained by processing biogas (which mainly contains methane and carbon dioxide), biogas, which is produced by anaerobic fermentation of plant residues, energy crops, animal manure, sludge from wastewater treatment plants, etc.
“Our pilot projects are essential for the future of the gas industry in Romania. What we are doing is testing the compatibility and proper functioning of the elements of the natural gas distribution system – network and user facilities – with mixtures of natural gas and different concentrations of hydrogen, in order to prepare the networks to support the energy transition by converting existing networks to H2 ready networks, respectively the construction, in the future, of only H2 ready networks,” said Cristian Secoșan, General Manager of Delgaz Grid.
BlendUp30, the second project, aims to validate, through the “test of time”, the conclusions of the 20HyGrid project, regarding the compatibility and proper functioning of the elements of the natural gas supply system with gas mixtures and different hydrogen concentrations (23vol.% and 30vol.%).
At the same time, the aim is to validate customer behavior and ensure that the handling of devices that operate with these mixtures is risk-free. The tests will be carried out over a period of at least 6 months, on three sections of the existing network, with different tubular material (steel; polyethylene-PE 100 and PE 80), from three different localities, continuously supplied with this mixture. The estimated period for the project is 2026-2028.
“The implementation of pilot projects, the preparation and early promotion of new technical solutions for the transition to green energy will contribute to a better understanding of the need to reduce the use of fossil fuels, to increasing trust in green solutions and to the development of the green energy sector, in order to limit drastic climate change,” added Anca Evoiu, Deputy General Manager of Delgaz Grid.
The third project, called HyGrid100, aims to test with 100vol.% hydrogen on a section of the existing natural gas supply system, made of PE 100 but with new users, compatible with pure hydrogen, 100vol.% (thermal power plants). In a first stage, these tests will be carried out in a controlled environment, in the Delgaz Grid polygon in Mediaș. After confirming that the tests in the polygon have been carried out safely, they will continue, in the second stage, on a section of the operational network, to which household consumers are connected, to which new consumption devices compatible with pure hydrogen will be installed. The functioning of the distribution network, the consumption installations, respectively the behavior of the consumption devices/combustion process with pure hydrogen will be verified. It is estimated that this project will be completed during the year 2028.
It is important to mention that, at the moment, Delgaz Grid has a pilot project, 30HyGrid, in the implementation phase/near completion, which represents an extension of the 20HyGrid project.
Carried out between November 2022 and November 2023, the 20HyGrid project successfully demonstrated that, from a technical point of view, it is possible and safe to use a mixture of 20vol.% hydrogen and natural gas in the distribution networks and installations/appliances using natural gas existing in Romania.
Through 30HyGrid, the company aims to test household appliances (e.g. cooking appliances, boilers), without modifying them, with a mixture in which the hydrogen concentration in natural gas of 20vol.%, already tested, is increased to 30vol.% and 35vol.% respectively (the maximum value up to which modifications are not necessary, according to the conclusions of tests in Western European countries). At the same time, most of the non-household customer categories will be tested with mixtures of 23vol.% and 30vol.% hydrogen in natural gas.
“The development of these types of projects will contribute to increasing experience and expertise in this field, in order to develop legislation in the field and promote green energy with a reduced carbon footprint. At the same time, it will determine an increase in the production of green gases, respectively of equipment (electrolyzers, biogas conditioning plants, etc.) and as a result, we can expect that, within 5-10 years, the price of green gases and equipment will decrease significantly. Thus, green energy will become increasingly accessible, and customers will benefit from quality services, at a reasonable price, compared to that of fossil fuel, but with a significantly reduced carbon footprint,” said Dr. Cristian Călin, Director of Green Gas Programs and Decarbonization Solutions at Delgaz Grid.