From gas pipelines to strategic entry points located throughout Brussels, gas follows a complex route before reaching our homes. This infrastructure is essential to our comfort as well as our energy security.
Belgium only produces very small quantities of gas (0.05% of primary energy consumption in 2023). The vast majority of our gas is therefore imported, mainly from Norway, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and France.
Thanks to the LNG terminal at Zeebrugge and an excellent interconnection with our neighbouring countries, Belgium is a hub for Europe's natural gas, which is transported by:
Gas pipelines: in gas form, from neighbouring countries such as Norway.
Gas tankers: in liquid form (LNG), from countries further afield.
In 2023, Belgium imported 157 000 GWh of natural gas, which accounted for 24.8% of its primary energy consumption. The Brussels Region itself consumed 7 813 GWh in 2023.
Belgium recently diversified its gas supply sources to reduce its dependence on one supplier. So, since 2022, the Brussels network has operated on rich gas. A Federal contingency plan has also been drawn up to guarantee our supply in the event of a crisis.
Transport (Fluxys)
Once in Belgium, the gas is handled by Fluxys, the gas transmission system operator. It is transported at high pressure (between 60 and 80 bar) throughout the country via a network of over 4,000 km of gas pipelines.
The high pressure enables gas to be transported over long distances by limiting drops in pressure. Once it has arrived in the Brussels Region, the gas is expanded by Fluxys to medium pressure "C" (8 or 15 bar) before being injected into Sibelga's network.
Distribution (Sibelga)
Receiving stations
The gas then arrives in Sibelga's network via 8 receiving stations distributed throughout the Brussels Region. Here, it is filtered and its calorific value. is measured. For safety reasons, a chemical odorant, the THT, is also added.
Expansion stations
The gas then changes from medium pressure "C" (8 or 15 bar) to medium pressure "B" (1.7 or 2.7 bar) via 7 expansion stations.
Medium-pressure network
The medium-pressure network (1.7 or 2.7 bar) then distributes the gas along 628 km of pipelines to:
2,372 connections or customer substations for industry
and 478 network substations for neighbourhoods. Here, the gas changes from medium pressure "B" to low pressure (21 mbar = 0.021 bar), suitable for domestic consumption.
Low-pressure network
The gas is then transported, at a pressure of 21 mbar, along 2,311 km of low-pressure pipes allowing it to be distributed to:
507,715 meters in Brussels
via 189,322 low-pressure connections.
Operation and maintenance
All along this route, network management and maintenance play an essential role in ensuring a continuous and secure supply. This involves monitoring gas flows, managing outages, metering and upgrading or replacing equipment.
The main substations on the distribution network are controlled remotely in real time to ensure a fast response in the event of an incident, such as a problem with the pressure or supply in a substation.
A way forward?
Sibelga is currently studying the potential of heat networks in Brussels. These networks could play an important role in the gradual phase-out of fossil fuels, including natural gas.
