Austria’s first green hydrogen production site has commenced operations in Styria, marking the beginning of a comprehensive plan to expand the electrolysis capacity in the mountainous province to over 150 MW in an initial push.

The pilot plant located in the Gabersdorf municipality features a 1-MW electrolyser powered by a nearby solar park with a collector area of ​​6,000 sq m (7,176 sq yd). When fully expanded, the site is expected to produce 300 tonnes of renewable hydrogen annually.

The first off-taker of the output is industrial company Wolfram Bergbau und Huetten AG, a subsidiary of Sandvik Group, which will procure 70 tonnes of the output to reduce the use of natural gas at its metallurgical plant in St. Martin im Sulmtal, Styria.