OMV sets up Austria’s largest green hydrogen plant
Austrian chemical firm OMV has announced the start-up of its 10 megawatts green hydrogen production plant, located at the Schwechat refinery near Vienna, the largest of its kind in Austria. Approximately EUR25 million have been invested in the facility, which has the capacity to produce up to 1,500 tonnes/year of green hydrogen.
The green hydrogen will be used to produce more sustainable fuels and chemicals, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel (HVO). OMV’s new 10 megawatts polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyser is powered entirely by renewable electricity generated from wind, hydro, and solar. This leads to an annual savings of up to 15,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions equivalent to the CO2 consumption of 2,000 persons/year.
Martijn van Koten, OMV Board Member Fuels & Feedstock and Chemicals: “With the start-up of Austria’s largest electrolysis plant, we are re-inventing how essentials we use in everyday life are produced sustainably. Green hydrogen is at the heart of this transformation, serving as a critical component in producing fuels and chemicals while advancing the decarbonisation of our Schwechat site. 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 for pioneering projects, laying the foundation for a cleaner, more resilient tomorrow.”
Aligned with European climate targets, OMV has set itself the goal of becoming net zero by 2050 at the latest. This will be supported by flagship transformation projects in areas such as geothermal energy, sustainable aviation fuel, and the chemical recycling in the chemical sector. A central component of this transformation is the production and use of green hydrogen, generated through electrolysis, to support the production processes at refineries.
The plant is certified according to the Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2018/2001 (RED II) for producing RFNBOs (renewable fuel of non-biological origin). It is supported by the Climate and Energy Fund Austria, and a part of the WIVA P&G – Hydrogen Initiative Model Region Austria Power & Gas. The support from Kommunalkredit during the development phase of the plant helped ensure the project’s successful advancement and completion.
Making green hydrogen through PEM electrolysis involves splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity. At the anode, oxygen and positively charged hydrogen protons are generated. These protons pass through the PEM, and at the cathode, they combine with electrons to form hydrogen gas. Since water consists of two hydrogen atoms for every oxygen atom, the process produces twice as much hydrogen as oxygen.
