The Largest Green Hydrogen Plant in Eastern Europe Starts Production
A 10-megawatt capacity green hydrogen plant has started production at the Hungarian Százhalombatta refinery of MOL. It is the largest in Central and Eastern Europe. The facility produces 1,600 tonnes of clean, carbon-neutral green hydrogen per year.
Green hydrogen is used for fuel production reducing the Danube Refinery’s carbon dioxide emissions by 25 000 tonnes. That is as much as the annual carbon dioxide emissions of roughly 5400 typical cars. The step aligns with MOL Group’s SHAPE TOMORROW corporate strategy to make the region more sustainable, competitive and self-sufficient.
Green hydrogen is used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions
MOL Group handed over its new Százhalombatta plant in April, producing around 1,600 tonnes of clean, carbon-neutral green hydrogen per year with a 10-megawatt electrolysis unit created by Plug Power. Necessary tasks to start production were carried out, including necessary pressure tests, inspection of the process control system, insertion and connection of the electrolytic cells into the system, and the water treatment system was put into operation.
Plug Power’s electrolysis equipment uses electricity from renewable sources to break down water into hydrogen and oxygen. No polluting by-products are generated and the plant produces 8-9 tonnes of pure oxygen per tonne of hydrogen. The US company has offered MOL an innovative and reliable technology: the hydrogen generators, optimized to produce pure hydrogen, have almost 50 years of operational experience.
Green hydrogen will be used in transportation sector
“Green hydrogen is a clean and versatile energy source that we currently use for fuel production to reduce our carbon dioxide footprint. According to our plans, soon it can be directly used in the transportation sector as well.
“Production and use of green hydrogen help the green energy transition innovatively, a fundamental goal of MOL’s strategy. After Százhalombatta, we are planning similar plants in Bratislava and Rijeka of which the latter can commence operations in 2026,” said Ádám Horváth, New and Sustainable Businesses Vice President of MOL Group.
The EUR 22 million new plant will reduce the carbon footprint of the Danube Refinery by more than 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. The technology will gradually replace the natural gas-based production process, which accounts for one-sixth of MOL Group’s total carbon dioxide emissions.
MOL Group is an integrated, international oil and gas company, headquartered in Budapest, Hungary. It is active in over 30 countries with a dynamic international workforce of 25,000 people and a track record of more than 80 years in the industry.
