Gasunie Transport Services (GTS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Dutch gas infrastructure company Gasunie, has repurposed an existing 60-kilometre natural gas pipeline as a biomethane gathering line together with regional distribution system operators RENDO, Enexis and Coteq. According to Gasunie’s announcement of 3 November 2026, the line collects biomethane from regional networks and delivers it to the national transmission grid.
Five municipalities, connection to the national grid at Ommen
The pipeline runs through the municipalities of Emmen, Coevorden, Hoogeveen, Hardenberg and Ommen, linking the regional networks of RENDO, Enexis and Coteq to GTS’s national gas transmission network. The collected biomethane flows to a GTS facility in Ommen, where two new biomethane boosters raise its pressure so that it can be injected into the national grid. Gasunie says reusing an existing pipeline kept the impact on the surrounding area to a minimum.
The announcement notes that biomethane is produced all year round while gas demand is highly seasonal, which often leads to local biomethane surpluses in regional networks in summer. The gathering line allows these volumes to be moved to where they are needed.
Production up 14 percent, blending obligation expected to drive growth
Gasunie reports that biomethane production in the Netherlands grew by 14 percent last year and that the number of producers continues to rise. The focus in the coming years will be on increasing biomethane’s share of the energy mix, with the blending obligation expected to play a major role. Enexis also reports strong growth in biomethane feed-in in the province of Drenthe.
Hans Coenen, member of Gasunie’s Executive Board, said the gathering line creates more growth capacity for biomethane and that the blending obligation will give producers steady demand and more certainty of sales, encouraging new plants. Eddy Veenstra, Managing Director of NV RENDO, said scaling up biomethane reduces dependence on other countries and nitrogen emissions in rural areas, while Enexis CTO Walter Grootveld said connecting sites to the gathering line allows large volumes to reach the national grid. Coteq Managing Director Gerald de Haan and GTS Managing Director Jeroen Zanting added that the line makes room for further production growth and was the result of a collective effort by the partners.
Sources
- Gasunie, “Gasunie opens up new possibilities for biomethane transport”, 03.11.2026: gasunie.nl
Image: Gasunie
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