Verbund
VERBUND Green Hydrogen GmbH is part of VERBUND group which is Austria’s leading energy company and one of the largest producers of electricity from hydropower in Europe. VERBUND group generates around 95 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, primarily hydropower. The group trades in electricity in 12 countries and, in 2022, achieved a consolidated result of around €1,700 million and EBITDA of around €3,160 million with around 3,500 employees. With subsidiaries and partners, VERBUND is active in everything from electricity generation and transport to international trading and sales. VERBUND has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 1988, 51% of the share capital is owned by the Republic of Austria.
Our role in the project
Voestalpine and VERBUND plan to upgrade the 6MW PEM electrolyser system at Voestalpine Linz with a purification and drying unit to produce high-quality hydrogen. Renewable hydrogen from the PEM electrolysis contains around 2000 ppmv oxygen (or 0.2% by volume) based on the dry gas. The water vapor content after cooling to approx. 10°C is about 1% by volume. The residual oxygen and the moisture in the hydrogen product stream should be reduced to a level of <1 ppmv with the purification and drying unit to produce hydrogen 5.0 (99.999%) for e.g., fuel cell applications. Pilot tests will be carried out as part of this project, analyzing the effect of operating conditions on the purity of the hydrogen produced. The main part of the budget will be used to cover the operating costs of hydrogen production from electricity.
Our impact within our region
The Hy2Market project touches on key issues such as dependency on fossil fuels and regional economic strength by providing a blueprint for a European green hydrogen supply project.
Both VERBUND and Voestalpine want to contribute to national and EU targets regarding:
- emission reduction,
- the development of green hydrogen projects and a hydrogen market
- strengthening the European economy and
- securing jobs in the region.
