The funding deal was signed by OMV and Austria Wirtschaftsservice – the promotional bank of the Austrian federal government.
OMV is currently building the 140MW plant in Bruck an der Leitha – a town in eastern Austria. The project was previously assessed and recommended for funding by the European Hydrogen Bank.
The plant is expected to produce up to 23,000 tonnes of green hydrogen using renewable energy from wind, solar, and hydropower, starting from the end of 2027.
According to OMV, this could save up to 150,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year and enable decarbonisation of the Schwechat refinery.
“By generating green hydrogen locally, this plant with a 22km pipeline running directly to the OMV refinery in Schwechat will make a considerable contribution to our decarbonisation,” said Martijn van Koten, OMV Executive Vice President, Fuels and Chemicals.
OMV’s Schwechat Refinery ©OMV
The refinery processes almost 10 million metric tonnes of crude oil per year, focusing on producing fuels and petrochemicals.
In June 2024, OMV started up its co-processing plant at the refinery. The plant allows up to 160,000 tonnes of liquid biomass to be converted into renewable hydrogenated vegetable oil components.
“The co-processing of HVO will allow OMV to reduce its carbon footprint by up to 360,000 metric tonnes of fossil CO2 per year,” stated the company.
OMV is building the green hydrogen plant alongside Masdar under a joint venture signed in November. It is expected to conclude in early 2026.