Romania has hydrogen projects, but connections are missing from the scenario analyzed by ENTSOG

Romanian projects appear in the European inventory, but the configuration used to analyze the deficit does not include cross-border connections for Romania. The high percentages of unmet demand depend on these assumptions. Transgaz’s plan presents estimated corridors for 2032, without a final investment decision in the document.

Romania has hydrogen pipeline projects in European planning, but its connections with neighboring countries are not included in the network selected for ENTSOG’s new analysis. In this configuration, the model leaves almost 90% of Romania’s hydrogen demand assumed for 2035 unmet. The difference between the proposed projects and the infrastructure included in the simulation explains the result, without determining what the real market will look like.

In brief
Romania has hydrogen pipeline projects, but they are not included in the network selected for ENTSOG’s analysis.

In the analyzed configuration, almost 90% of Romania’s hydrogen demand assumed for 2035 remains unmet.

Transgaz indicates 2032 as the estimated year for two corridors, classified in the plan as projects without a final investment decision.

Network development must be aligned with actual production and demand to reduce the risk of underutilized investments.

The report is open for consultation until October 30, 2026. The results describe the model’s assumptions, not an inevitable shortage.

The draft report was published on October 12 as part of the European Ten-Year Network Development Plan, TYNDP 2026. ENTSOG, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas, is testing whether the selected infrastructure can connect hydrogen sources with consumption centers. The calculations use the National Trends+ scenario, built on assumptions compatible with the EU’s energy and climate targets, for 2030, 2035, 2040 and 2050.

In the configuration assessed, Romania has no cross-border hydrogen connections, while domestic production through electrolysis is very small compared with the demand entered into the model. The share of unmet demand reaches 89.11% in 2035, 89.85% in 2040 and 91.28% in 2050. The percentages concern the hydrogen demanded in the simulation, not Romania’s total energy consumption. Changes in production, demand or available pipelines may change the result.

Infrastructure selection is essential. The analysis uses the level called PCI/PMI, which brings together existing infrastructure, projects with a final investment decision, and projects of common or mutual interest from the Union list, with the adjustments described in the report. This is a narrower set than the inventory of all proposals collected from promoters for the TYNDP. Therefore, the absence of a connection from the simulation does not mean that the project is missing from European planning.

The general project annex includes the new Giurgiu–Nădlac corridor, the pipeline from the Black Sea area to Podișor, and the Hungarian component of the Romania–Hungary corridor. They are listed in the Less-Advanced category, covering less advanced projects. The capacity annex shows non-zero values from 2035 for Romania’s connections with Bulgaria and Hungary in this category, while the PCI/PMI values remain zero. The two levels describe different configurations and cannot replace one another when interpreting the results.

Transgaz’s 2026–2035 plan provides the national detail. The company presents a hydrogen corridor along the Giurgiu–Podișor–Bibești–Jupa–Horia–Nădlac route and another between the Black Sea and Podișor. For both, it indicates 2032 as the estimated year and the status LA non FID, meaning less advanced projects without a final investment decision in the document. The date in the plan represents the promoter’s estimated deadline. New pipeline projects are presented separately from the modernization of existing infrastructure and must be tracked as distinct investments.

A cross-border connection would enable transport between producers and consumers in different markets. For an industrial user, access to hydrogen therefore depends both on available production and on the possibility of bringing it to the place of consumption. Production through electrolysis, in turn, requires access to electricity. Pipelines, production facilities and industrial demand must be considered together to understand which capacities would be useful and at what stage.

The same link between infrastructure and demand calls for caution when selecting investments. In its European market assessment published on December 2, 2025, ACER, the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators, recommends gradual network development in line with actual demand. The agency calls for projects to be aligned with market developments to reduce the risk of underutilized assets. Identifying a deficit in a model should be followed by an assessment of the solutions and their costs, without automatically treating every proposed pipeline as a justified investment.

ENTSOG is accepting comments on the draft report and accompanying documents until October 30, 2026. For Romania, comparing the simulated configuration with Transgaz’s projects and the future needs of users may show which connections merit further assessment. The final report will be prepared after the consultation and will go through the institutional analysis stages announced by ENTSOG. The current results remain dependent on the assumptions and infrastructure used in the draft submitted for consultation.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/news/romania-apare-fara-interconectari-de-hidrogen-in-scenariul-european-pentru-2050