Romania has moved closer to establishing a larger regulated renewable hydrogen market after the Senate approved revised legislation covering production, monitoring and use of hydrogen.
The legislation will now move to the Chamber of Deputies for the final parliamentary vote.
One of the most significant provisions concerns transport fuel.
From 2030, suppliers would be required to ensure that renewable fuels of non-biological origin, including renewable hydrogen, account for at least 1% of the fuel they sell.
The proposal is also linked to implementation of Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
Together with the national hydrogen strategy, the legislative framework forms part of a milestone connected with more than €1 billion in European funding.
The bill was revised during the parliamentary process after earlier versions received negative opinions from both the Economic and Energy committees. Amendments, including changes affecting fuel-supplier obligations, subsequently secured unanimous committee support before Senate approval.
Romania’s regulatory push is occurring as the first material industrial hydrogen projects begin to emerge.
OMV Petrom plans two renewable-hydrogen installations at the Petrobrazi refinery, with electrolyser capacities of 20 MW and 35 MW.
Combined capacity would reach 55 MW.
Those projects illustrate why legislation covering both production and downstream demand is becoming increasingly important.
Renewable hydrogen facilities require predictable offtake if they are to achieve sufficiently high utilisation, while obligations imposed on fuel suppliers can create demand that would otherwise develop more slowly.
Romania is therefore attempting to develop both sides of the market.
Industrial projects such as Petrobrazi create domestic supply, while the proposed 1% requirement from 2030 would establish a formal demand signal in the transport sector.
The legislation amends Law 237/2023 and Government Emergency Ordinance 163/2022 and is intended to bring Romanian rules closer to EU requirements and domestic energy objectives.
Final approval remains outstanding.
But Senate passage moves Romania closer to a hydrogen framework where industrial investment, mandatory demand and access to EU funding become increasingly interconnected rather than separate policy initiatives.
