Austria's OMV invests in one of Europe's largest green hydrogen plants

Austrian oil and energy company OMV has announced a key investment decision concerning the construction of a large-scale 140 MW green hydrogen plant in Bruck an der Leitha in Lower Austria. The project is contingent on successfully securing subsidies through auctions held by the European and Austrian Hydrogen Banks, OMV said in a press release.

OMV plans to build a 140 MW electrolyser in the Austrian town of Bruck an der Leitha, near the Czech border. Its construction depends on the outcome of auctions held by the European and Austrian Hydrogen Banks. The new plant is expected to produce up to 23 000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually, making it one of the largest facilities of its kind in Europe. Its operation could cut carbon dioxide emissions by around 150 000 tonnes a year, equivalent to the carbon footprint of approximately 20 000 people.

Martijn van Koten, OMV's Executive Vice President for Fuels, Feedstock and Chemicals, said the project marked a revolutionary step in the way basic fuels and chemical products are made. In his view, the project shows that industrial innovation can go hand in hand with sustainability. Green hydrogen plays a key role in enabling more environmentally friendly production processes and will help the sector prepare for future market and regulatory requirements.

The planned electrolyser is expected to meet a substantial share of the hydrogen demand at OMV's Schwechat refinery, strengthening the company's energy independence and environmental transformation. The project is thus becoming a key part of the company's broader strategy to decarbonise fuel and chemical production.

The facility is scheduled to start operating at the end of 2027 and will use exclusively renewable energy sources to produce green hydrogen—specifically wind, solar and hydropower. Its development builds on experience gained from a smaller, completed 10 MW electrolyser developed in cooperation with Kommunalkredit.

This 2024 pilot project was certified as a producer of renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO) under the European Renewable Energy Directive (RED), laying a solid foundation for future expansion of production capacity. OMV is thereby reaffirming its ambition to lead the industrial transformation towards sustainability.

Austria's hydrogen strategy

Austria is working to build a complete hydrogen value chain in line with its national climate and energy plan and hydrogen strategy. By 2030, it plans to install 1 GW of electrolyser capacity, producing 4 TWh of hydrogen annually, with 80% to be climate-neutral by 2040. In 2024, a law supporting renewable hydrogen was approved, allocating a budget of 400 million euros over ten years, with a further 420 million euros earmarked for 2025–2026.

The strategy clearly sets out priorities for hydrogen use: industrial applications such as steel and chemical production take precedence, as do transport sectors where electrification is difficult, such as aviation and maritime transport.

Austria is also working to adapt existing gas infrastructure to transport hydrogen and developing international partnerships to import it. For example, the “Southern Hydrogen Corridor” project aims to transport green hydrogen from the southern Mediterranean to Central Europe, including Austria.

The strategy also includes underground hydrogen storage in depleted natural gas fields and preparations for their integration into European hydrogen infrastructure. Austrian company RAG Austria AG commissioned an underground hydrogen storage facility in 2023 for seasonal electricity storage. It can store up to 4,2 GWh of energy in the form of hydrogen, equivalent to summer surpluses from around 1000 solar power plants. This project, called "Underground Sun Storage", represents a key step towards managing seasonal fluctuations in renewable energy production.