OMV to close all hydrogen refuelling stations

The partly state-owned company says it will discontinue its public hydrogen refuelling operations in Austria, citing falling demand and a lack of profitability. OMV will instead 'expand its commitment to electromobility', with plans for a Austrian fast-charging network on the table.

OMV has reportedly already closed its hydrogen station in Vienna, and plans to shutter its other sites in Graz, Innsbruck, Asten and Wiener Neudorf by the end of August 2025. Only one station will remain open, although it won’t be accessible to the public.

The company was an early investor in hydrogen, having opened a refuelling station in Vienna-Floridsdorf in 2012. However, in a statement, it said: “Despite these early investments, demand for hydrogen as a fuel fell short of expectations.”

They’re correct in stating that the demand for fuel cell-powered vehicles in Austria remains low. Statistics Austria states that only 62 of the vehicles were registered at the end of February, with only one new car being registered in 2024. Furthermore, out of the 62 vehicles on the roads, only five belong to private owners, with most of them being used commercially. The vast majority of the hydrogen vehicles in Austria are from Hyundai (48 of them), with 13 from Toyota and one from VW.

As OMV is the only provider of hydrogen refuelling stations in Austria, the move severely hinders the future of the sector in the country. OMV says it now will focus on establishing a ‘nationwide fast-charging network’ via OMV eMotion, marking a pivot towards BEVs. However, hydrogen will remain important for OMV’s industrial arm, with its first 10MW electrolysis plant for green hydrogen set to be commissioned in Vienna Schwechat this year. OMV states that this will be used as a material resource in refineries to produce things like ‘sustainable’ jet fuel and diesel.

derstandard.at, noen.at (German)