Delgaz Grid, the distribution company of the E.ON group in Romania, last year made investments of over 1.2 billion lei (about 241 million euros) in natural gas and electricity distribution networks, and for the current year it has planned an amount of 1.4 billion lei (282 million euros), 17% more than in 2025.
According to a company press release, sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday, the investments made in 2025 were over 165% higher than the average annual value from 2010-2019 (when they were around 90 million euros/year) and were supported by own sources and attracted European funds.
Thus, investments of over 538 million lei (107 million euros) were recorded in the distribution of natural gas, with 448 km of gas pipelines and connections being modernized. The distribution network was extended by 253 km, with 31,000 new consumers being connected. At the same time, in partnership with local authorities, natural gas distributions were established in 7 localities in Sibiu, Timis and Bacau counties, over a length of 84 kilometers.
Also, six natural gas regulation and metering stations were modernized - in Bacau, Cara?-Severin, Hunedoara and Ia?i counties - which led to the improvement of the quality of the distribution service for consumers in the served areas.
Also last year, Delgaz Grid launched three pilot projects in the field of green gases for the first time: BioMethaneMix (aimed at obtaining biomethane and injecting it into distribution networks/utilization facilities), BlendUp30 (testing the functioning of natural gas distribution network equipment and existing utilization devices with hydrogen mixtures in natural gas of 23% and 30% vol%) and HyGrid100 (using 100% hydrogen on a section of the natural gas network and new utilization devices).
In the electricity segment, the value of investments was 674 million lei (134 million euros), the distribution network being modernized over a length of 1,405 km and extended by 720 km. About 36,500 new users were connected, of which 22,000 consumers and 14,500 prosumers.
"Last year, the ADMS (Advanced Distribution Management System) project was completed through an investment of 84 million lei, of which 61 million lei was European funding. ADMS integrates into a single digital platform the functionalities necessary for the operational control, programming and operational planning processes of high, medium and low voltage electrical distribution networks, up to the consumer level," the press release states.
"Last year, the ADMS (Advanced Distribution Management System) project was completed through an investment of 84 million lei, of which 61 million lei was European funding. ADMS integrates into a single digital platform the functionalities necessary for the operational control, programming and operational planning processes of high, medium and low voltage electrical distribution networks, up to the consumer level," the press release reads.
According to the cited source, at the end of 2025, 586,000 SMART meters were already installed (about 80,000 installed last year), of which 525,000 are also integrated into the smart metering system (SMI). The digital MDM/MDC platform (Measurement Data Management/Data Collection Management), with a capacity to integrate 1,600,000 meters, provides support for the SMI.
As a result of the investments made year after year, Delgaz Grid is positioned as one of the most performing distribution operators, by significantly improving the main indicators of the distribution service. In the last 10 years, SAIDI (indicator of the duration of interruptions) has decreased more than six times, reaching 66.7 minutes in 2025 from 438.83 minutes in 2015, and SAIFI (indicator of the number of interruptions) has decreased about eight times, reaching 0.72 last year, from 5.89 in 2015.
Also, during the period 2021-2024, Delgaz Grid ranked first among distribution operators in Romania, with the shortest duration of electricity supply interruptions, according to ANRE reports.
For the current year, the Delgaz Grid company has set itself the goal of investing, from its own sources and EU funds, a record amount of 1.42 billion lei (282 million euros), 17% more than in 2025.
According to the company, investments of over 544 million lei (108 million euros) are planned in the natural gas sector. "Natural gas pipelines and connections will be modernized over a length of 627 km. At the same time, to improve the quality of the service, 15 regulation-measuring stations will be modernized. The development of the natural gas distribution system and the connection of new consumers is another priority, with funds planned for this year to expand the network by over 223 km," the statement said.
Regarding electricity, investments of 877 million lei (174 million euros) are planned, 26% more than in the previous year. The investments aim at continuing the automation and digitalization of the distribution system, SMART metering, modernization of overhead networks, substations and transformation stations, expansion of the distribution network to connect new consumers, and increasing the capacity of the networks to take over energy produced from renewable sources.
Regarding projects with European funds, the company has 15 ongoing projects, worth a total of 436 million euros, of which 325 million euros are European financing. The projects target SMART metering, modernization of transformer stations, construction of new stations, modernization of networks on all voltage levels.
"One of the most important projects, launched at the beginning of the year, is the electricity supply of the future Regional Emergency Hospital (SRU) Ia?i, a medical unit that will serve the inhabitants of the North-East Region of Romania. The investment value is approximately 145 million lei (29 million euros), of which non-refundable European funding of approximately 120 million lei (24 million euros)," the press release states.
Delgaz Grid mentions that another major distribution network development project, for which the signing of the financing contract is expected in the middle of the year, is the Carmen project, carried out in partnership with Transelectrica and ESO (transmission operator) Bulgaria. The total value is 210 million euros, of which 104 million euros is European financing. The Delgaz Grid component is 79 million euros, of which approximately 40 million euros is a grant.
Also, in 2026, the installation of approximately 120,000 SMART meters is planned, with a target of 85% smart metering coverage by 2030.
Delgaz Grid, the distribution company of the German E.ON Group, operates a natural gas network of about 27,000 km in 20 counties in the North and West of Romania and an electricity network of about 63,000 km in six counties in Moldavia, serving over 3.6 million customers. Since entering the local market in 2005, E.ON has invested 2.7 billion euros mainly in the modernization of natural gas and electricity networks and has transferred 4.2 billion euros in taxes and fees to the state.
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