A 12.5 MW Electrolyser Powered by Solar Energy
The facility will produce around 17 million m³ of green hydrogen per year — more than 1,500 tons — using solar power as its primary renewable energy source. That volume will enable RAG Austria to build large-scale seasonal energy storage, making renewable energy available for electricity and heat production in winter. By converting summer solar surpluses into hydrogen, the project addresses one of the energy transition’s core challenges: managing temporal imbalances between generation and consumption. The start of operations is scheduled for end of 2026.
ANDRITZ is delivering the project on an EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) basis, taking full responsibility for project execution and commissioning. The group’s scope includes the complete green hydrogen production plant, as well as systems for hydrogen purification and compression. This EPC positioning reinforces ANDRITZ’s strategy of focusing on energy transition technologies, in line with other sectoral partnerships such as the agreement signed between thyssenkrupp nucera and BHEL for green hydrogen in India.
Energy Sovereignty and Industrial Demand in Focus
Markus Mitteregger, CEO of RAG Austria, underlines the urgency of building local hydrogen production capacity at European scale. “Around half of future demand will need to be met within Europe, making it imperative to act now,” he said. He also highlights rising demand for green hydrogen across industry, heating and electricity generation, particularly during the winter months.
The project aims to ensure a continuous and reliable local supply for Austrian industrial needs while supporting the expansion of renewable energy. Improving the conversion efficiency of solar-to-hydrogen remains an active area of research across the industry, as illustrated by recent work from Fraunhofer ISE, which converted 31.3% of solar radiation into green hydrogen. Upon commissioning, the facility will be the largest green hydrogen installation in Austria.
