OMV opens hydrogen filling station in Graz, Styria

• OMV readying Austria for hydrogen on the road on main traffic routes
• Opening of OMV’s fourth hydrogen filling station in Austria
• Hydrogen set to play a role in the fuel mix of the future 

Dr. Peter Piffl-Percevic, Member of the local council Graz and Wilfried Gepp, Head of the OMV filling station business in Austria, today opened the OMV hydrogen filling station in Graz Liebenau (Styria). This is already the fourth hydrogen filling station operated by OMV in Austria. OMV, the integrated, international oil and gas company headquartered in Vienna, has thereby taken an important step in readying key European traffic routes for hydrogen on the road. The new filling station is situated directly on the Südautobahn A2 – one of Europe’s busiest traffic routes. The OMV station opened today connects Austria to the Europe-wide hydrogen network for fuel cell vehicles.

 “It’s now possible for hydrogen vehicles to cross the whole of Austria for the first time, from north to south, west to east and vice versa. The OMV hydrogen filling stations in Innsbruck, Asten near Linz, Vienna and now Graz have facilitated this. We have thereby taken an important step towards making this product suitable for everyday use”, said OMV Manager Wilfried Gepp.

The issue of hydrogen for mobility is one of OMV’s future scenarios, as the fuel mix of the future is set to be much more expansive. Fossil fuels will, however, continue to play an important role here. OMV is researching energies of the future such as hydrogen, since this element has almost unlimited availability and is low in emissions. And OMV can build on its broad experience in producing hydrogen – the Schwechat Refinery is already capable of producing around 50,000 tonnes of hydrogen a year.

The construction and operation of the Graz Liebenau hydrogen station is part of COHRS (Connecting Hydrogen Refuelling Stations), a project subsidized by the EU which OMV is implementing together with its German partner H2 MOBILITY. A total of 20 stations should connect the most important European corridors to the hydrogen network, three of which are in Austria: After Asten near Linz (Upper Austria), Graz Liebenau (Styria) has now opened and Wiener Neudorf (Lower Austria) will follow in the middle of the year. COHRS is part-financed by the European Union’s funding instrument "Connecting Europe Facility" (CEF), which supports research into technical solutions, customer acceptance and business models in addition to building and operating the infrastructure.

Hydrogen is an efficient and environmentally sound fuel of the future. In Vienna OMV operates Austria’s first public hydrogen filling station, as well as a station in Innsbruck (Tyrol) since 2015 and the third OMV hydrogen station, opened in 2016 in Asten near Linz (Upper Austria) and now in Graz (Styria). In Germany there are already five OMV hydrogen stations in operation, two of which are in Baden-Württemberg and three in Bavaria. Further stations are set to open in the coming years. OMV is a member of H2 MOBILITY, whose goal is to build around 400 hydrogen refueling stations in Germany by the end of 2023. OMV is a signatory of the UN Global Compact and is committed to supporting the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) of the United Nations – particularly the goals “Affordable and clean energy”, “Industry, innovation and infrastructure” and “Responsible consumption and production” with the issue of hydrogen on the road.

Background information:

OMV Aktiengesellschaft

OMV is producing and marketing oil & gas, innovative energy and high-end petrochemical solutions – in a responsible way. With Group sales of EUR 19 bn and a workforce of around 22,500 employees in 2016, OMV Aktiengesellschaft is one of Austria’s largest listed industrial companies. In Upstream OMV has a strong base in Romania and Austria along with a well-balanced international portfolio. Daily production stood at approx. 315,000 boe/d in 2016. In Downstream OMV has an annual refining capacity of 17.8 mn tonnes and around 3,800 filling stations in ten countries (including Turkey) as of the end of 2016. OMV operates a gas pipeline network in Austria and gas storage facilities in Austria and Germany. In 2016 gas sales volumes amounted to around 110 TWh.

Sustainability at OMV

The OMV sustainability strategy combines economic activity and responsible conduct, with the goal of creating long-term, sustainable win-win situations for society, the environment and OMV. The OMV sustainability strategy “Resourcefulness” encompasses our responsibilities on the issues of Health, Safety, Security, Environment, Diversity, Business Ethics, Human Rights and Stakeholder Engagement and focuses on the three main areas of Eco-Efficiency, Eco-Innovation and Skills to Succeed. OMV is a signatory of the UN Global Compact and is committed to supporting the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) of the United Nations.