(Bucharest, Romania) – Oil company OMV Petrom SA is expanding its recently completed 20-megawatt electrolysis plant at its Pretrobrazi refinery by 35 megawatts, bringing the total capacity to 55 megawatts. All modules for the expansion have now arrived at the site. Once operational, the second plant will produce approximately 4.700 tons of green hydrogen annually from renewable electricity. This will bring the cumulative annual production to around 8.000 tons.
The electrolyzers for both construction phases are being supplied by Neumann & Esser GmbH from North Rhine-Westphalia. © OMV Petrom SA
The second green hydrogen project consists of seven electrolysis modules, each with a capacity of five megawatts, supplied by Neuman & Esser GmbH from Übach-Palenberg (North Rhine-Westphalia). The company also supplied the modules for the 20-megawatt electrolyzer ( more information here ). Construction, logistics, component manufacturing, and module assembly for the expanded plant were, as before, carried out in partnership with local suppliers. The 35 MW project is receiving a grant of €29 million from Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).
OMV Petrom's plans, in which the Austrian petrochemical company OMV AG holds a majority stake, reportedly require total investments of €750 million. The green hydrogen will be used in refinery processes, including the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and hydrogenated volatile organic compounds (HVO). "We are also pushing ahead with the construction of an SAF/HVO plant with a capacity of 250.000 tons per year," says Radu Căprău, member of the Executive Board for Refining and Marketing. This will make OMV Petrom "the first major producer of sustainable fuels in Southeast Europe" ( more information here ).
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OMV Petrom expands its 20 MW electrolyzer to 55 MW. © OMV Petrom SA
