The European Investment Bank (EIB) is backing one of Europe’s largest green hydrogen projects with a €450 million loan to support the construction of OMV’s 140 MW renewable hydrogen plant in Bruck an der Leitha, Lower Austria.

 

The €600 million facility, currently under construction and scheduled to begin operations by the end of 2027, will produce up to 23,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually using renewable energy. The project is expected to play a major role in cutting emissions at OMV’s Schwechat refinery and accelerating the company’s industrial decarbonization strategy.

 

Once operational, the plant will enable OMV to produce green hydrogen locally, reducing reliance on fossil-based hydrogen and improving the sustainability profile of fuels and chemical products manufactured at the refinery. 

 

OMV estimates the project will cut carbon emissions by around 150,000 tonnes each year — equivalent to approximately 10 percent of the Schwechat refinery’s current direct emissions.

 

“The European Investment Bank’s loan commitment is a strong signal of confidence in OMV’s transformation strategy and our ability to deliver large-scale projects that drive industrial decarbonization,” said Reinhard Florey, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board and Chief Financial Officer of OMV. 

 

“Producing green hydrogen in Austria enables us to increase the captive use of more sustainable energy in our production and for our innovative products. The construction of one of Europe’s largest green hydrogen plants marks a major milestone in the decarbonization of our industrial processes and underscores our ambition to actively shape the energy transition in Austria and beyond.”

 

The EIB said the investment will strengthen Europe’s clean energy ambitions while supporting industrial competitiveness and energy security.

 

“Green hydrogen is a cornerstone of Europe’s transition to a competitive, climate-neutral and secure energy system,” said EIB Vice-President Karl Nehammer during the site visit. 

 

“By supporting green hydrogen production at industrial scale, we are strengthening Europe’s competitiveness, reinforcing our energy security and helping decarbonise refining by replacing fossil-based hydrogen with renewable hydrogen. This investment also lays the foundation for the future production of sustainable aviation fuels, supporting the EU’s climate and energy security objectives.”

 

The project is a key pillar of OMV’s Strategy 2030, which focuses on expanding renewable fuels and sustainable chemical feedstock production. The company aims to achieve approximately 900 kilotonnes of production capacity by 2030.

 

OMV already operates a co-processing plant and a 10 MW green hydrogen facility at the Schwechat refinery. Additional projects underway include a Sustainable Aviation Fuel/Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil plant at the OMV Petrom Petrobrazi refinery, as well as 20 MW and 35 MW green hydrogen projects in Romania operated by OMV Petrom.

 

Together, these investments form part of OMV’s broader roadmap to accelerate the energy transition and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.