OMV has made the final decision to invest a mid-three-digit million-euro sum in a new flagship green H₂ plant in Bruck an der Leitha, Lower Austria. There, OMV plans to build a 140-MW electrolysis facility, subject to and under the assumption of a positive outcome of the European and Austrian H₂ Bank auction. With a production capacity of up to 23,000 tpy of green H₂, the new plant will be one of the largest of its kind in Europe. OMV expects to reduce CO₂ emissions by approximately 150,000 tpy, equivalent to the annual carbon footprint of 20,000 people.

Martijn van Koten, OMV Executive Vice President Fuels & Feedstock and Chemicals said, “With this project, we are re-inventing the production of everyday essential fuels and chemical products – a groundbreaking step that demonstrates how industrial innovation and sustainability can go hand in hand. By using green H₂ in the future, we are making the processes and production of fuels and chemical products more sustainable and are future-proofing our industry. Our planned 140-MW electrolysis plant in Bruck an der Leitha will meet a significant share of the H₂ demand at the OMV Schwechat refinery, reinforcing our role as a pioneer in industrial transformation.”

With an expected start-up at the end of 2027, the new facility will produce green H₂ using renewable energy from wind, solar, and hydro power. This 140-MW electrolyzer project is set to benefit from the experience gained from OMV’s 10-MW electrolyzer facility. The latter was successfully completed in partnership with Kommunalkredit at the end of 2024. As one of the first green H₂ production plants in Europe, it has been certified as Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBO) under the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED) legislation.