April 9, 2026. A high-level group of EU policymakers, national regulators, grid operators and industry representatives gathered behind closed doors in the Grid Ready Forum in Brussels hosted by the European Biogas Association (EBA) to address the bottlenecks holding back biomethane deployment. Participants from multiple EU countries flagged persistent regulatory fragmentation and technical barriers that continue to hinder the injection of renewable gas into Europe’s energy system.
The discussions come at a critical moment for the implementation of the EU Gas Package, calling on Member States to establish a right to injection for all into existing gas grids for all renewable gas producers. With the transposition deadline set for August 5, several EU countries are expected to delay or fall short on biomethane-related provisions, while the European Commission is preparing an assessment of progress likely to be released later this year.
According to ACER, Europe’s gas network already provides a vast, high-value backbone for energy transport and storage, with over 200,000 km of transmission pipelines and more than 2 million km of distribution lines. A recent study by GIE estimated in €2.5 bn/year the needed investment in gas grids to integrate 1,000 TWh of biomethane. This is 40 times less than the electricity grids need up to 2040 (€100 billion/year).
The Forum concluded with a set of recommendations aimed at breaking existing bottlenecks to facilitate grid injection as one of the necessary steps to accelerate the rollout out biomethane. Among those, the need for a pragmatic and harmonized approach to gas quality standards, including oxygen limits, which can make biomethane injection unnecessarily expensive or even technically unfeasible. Different countries have implemented separate national standards, resulting in different oxygen level requirements between countries that pose a challenge for cross border flows.
Additionally, the development of coordinated “masterplans” for gas grids to maximize biomethane injection, supported by digital mapping tools that enable grid operators to optimize their networks, including by implementing reverse flows where relevant. This would support the implementation of the right to injection for biomethane producers established in the Gas Package.
Innovative solutions are also gaining traction. Virtual pipelines, transporting biomethane by road where grid access is limited, were highlighted as a practical workaround, with experts urging policymakers to allow grid operators to cover most of the cost of the centralized injection points.
