OMV and Kommunalkredit JV for Austria’s largest green hydrogen plant
OMV (Austria’s oil, gas and chemicals company) and Kommunalkredit Austria AG (an infrastructure and energy financing company) have announced today (15th February) a joint investment for building Austria’s largest electrolysis plant in the OMV Schwechat Refinery.
The total investment will be around € 25 million (US$ 30 million) shared on 50:50 basis. The plant is set to be operating in H2:2023. The 10 MW electrolyser will b using PEM (polymer electrolyte membrane) electrolysis technology producing up to 1,500 tonnes/year of green hydrogen.
The green hydrogen plant will replace grey hydrogen in the refinery used for hydrogenating bio-based and fossil fuels. The plant will reduce OMV’s carbon footprint by up to 15k tonnes/year of CO2 and reduce emission in the transport sector. The project is supported by the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund and is part of the Hydrogen Initiative Energy Model Region Austria Power & Gas.
Thomas Gangl, OMV Chief Downstream Operations Officer, said, “By building Austria’s largest electrolysis plant in the OMV Schwechat Refinery, we are making another contribution to reducing CO2 and to meeting climate targets, whereby hydrogen is a key technology.”
OMV set its ambitious climate targets in July 2020, including reaching net-zero emissions in operations (Scope 1 and 2) by 2050 or sooner.
Scope 1 emission refers to all direct emissions from the activities of an organisation or under its control, while Scope 2 is indirect emissions from electricity purchased and used by the organisation. Scope 3 is harder and refers to activities of the organisation, occurring from sources that they do not own or control.
He further added that the company deliberately opted for green hydrogen production on an industrial scale as it sees the potential it holds – for lower-carbon road use and reducing CO2 emissions in industrial operations.
Bernd Fislage, CEO of Kommunalkredit Austria AG, said, “This project is a milestone in Austria’s industrial policy under the EU Green Deal. We take our responsibility towards society seriously, to contribute to measures that help prevent climate change.”
