State-owned Austrian energy and chemicals business OMV has announced the start-up of its 10MW green hydrogen production plant at the Schwechat refinery near Vienna. It is the largest plant of its kind so far in Austria, but not striking in scale.
The €25m plant has capacity to produce up to 1,500 tonnes of green hydrogen per year – about 4 tonnes per day.
The 10MW PEM electrolyser is powered by electricity from wind, hydro, and solar sources.
The company, which is targeting Net Zero by 2050 “at the latest”, also confirmed the plant is certified for producing renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO).
The green hydrogen will be used to produce sustainable aviation fuels and renewable diesel (hydrotreated vegetable oil), while also decarbonising some processes at OMV’s Schwechat site.
Martijn van Koten, OMV Board Member Fuels & Feedstock and Chemicals, said,“By building robust local production and supply chains for green hydrogen in Europe, OMV is not only advancing climate goals but also safeguarding industrial progress. The expertise gained from this initiative will act as a springboard.”
Austria aims to install 1GW of electrolyser capacity by 2030 and replace 80% of fossil-based hydrogen in energy-intensive industries within the same timeframe.
