The facility will house a 140 MW electrolyser powered by renewable electricity, producing up to 23,000 tonnes of renewable hydrogen a year.
The European Investment Bank is providing €450 million to Austrian energy, fuels and chemicals company OMV to build a large-scale green hydrogen facility in Bruck an der Leitha, Lower Austria. The loan is the EIB’s largest-ever investment in Austria’s energy sector and covers close to three-quarters of the plant’s €600 million cost.
Construction is already underway, with operations expected to start by the end of 2027. The facility will house a 140 MW electrolyser powered by renewable electricity, producing up to 23,000 tonnes of renewable hydrogen a year. That would make it the largest such plant in Austria and one of the five biggest in Europe.
A 22-kilometre pipeline will carry the hydrogen to OMV’s Schwechat refinery, where it will gradually displace fossil-based hydrogen used in refining. OMV expects the switch to cut the refinery’s direct CO₂ emissions by up to 150,000 tonnes annually, roughly 10% of current levels, while also laying groundwork for future sustainable aviation fuel production.
“Green hydrogen is a cornerstone of Europe’s transition to a competitive, climate-neutral and secure energy system,” said EIB Vice-President Karl Nehammer.
The project supports the EIB’s TechEU initiative to strengthen Europe’s electrolysis value chain and aligns with the European Green Deal and REPowerEU goals.
“This investment is of strategic importance for both Austria and Europe,” said OMV Deputy Chairman and CFO Reinhard Florey, adding that the plant marks a major milestone in decarbonising the company’s industrial processes.
The project forms part of OMV’s Strategy 2030 pathway toward net-zero emissions by 2050.
