• OMV & Post: Partnership to promote production, infrastructure and integration in existing fleet and reduce CO2
• Intention is for first use in Austria to be achieved by 2023 at the latest
• Goal: 2,000 HGVs powered by green-hydrogen fuel cells by 2030

OMV, the integrated, international oil, gas and chemicals company headquartered in Vienna, and Österreichische Post AG, Austria’s leading provider of transport and logistics services, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the use of green hydrogen in heavy goods transport.

The joint goal is to promote commercial electromobility for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in Austria, powered by hydrogen fuel cells, and to facilitate availability. OMV is one of several partners to have committed to providing green hydrogen and the requisite infrastructure and recently made a final investment decision (FID) together with Kommunalkredit Austria for a 10 MW electrolysis unit at the site in Schwechat. Post plans to introduce test vehicles and integrate them into its existing logistics fleet. Both companies intend to use this to gain experience in operating the hydrogen supply chain and fleet. OMV and Post have pledged that the first application in Austria be realized no later than 2023. This initiative will remain open to additional companies looking to cooperate in the field of hydrogen. Together, OMV and Post are laying the basis so that by 2030 a total of 2,000 fuel-cell-powered HGVs can be operated in Austria by various users.

“Hydrogen is a key technology for CO2 reduction and for meeting climate targets – in industrial applications and on the road. We see huge potential in goods transport and public transport in particular, as these are areas where electrification can be difficult or even impossible. With the recent FID for the 10 MW electrolysis plant at the Schwechat site, we have laid the cornerstone for hydrogen mobility. Now we are delighted to work with the Post to develop economically feasible solutions for hydrogen and reducing CO2,” says Thomas Gangl, OMV Chief Downstream Operations Officer.

“With this partnership we are taking an important first step towards introducing and proliferating electromobility with hydrogen fuel cells. Green hydrogen will be used exclusively here. This will bring us much closer to our goal of seeing the first hydrogen-powered Post trucks in action imminently. Today we already have around 2,100 electric vehicles on the road every day, making us a trailblazer in tomorrow’s green logistics,” says Peter Umundum, Member of the Management Board, Parcel & Logistics, Österreichische Post.

OMV and Post have set themselves ambitious climate targets and declared their commitment to the Paris Agreement. OMV is working on a range of energy-efficiency measures, new technologies such as carbon capture and carbon use, hydrogen, renewables (such as the photovoltaic plant in Austria) and measures to optimize its portfolio. Österreichische Post already operates Austria’s largest electric-vehicle fleet, powered by photovoltaic units on the rooftops of its own logistics facilities. As a member of the EV100 initiative, it has committed to transition to electromobility or alternative fuel vehicles in full by 2030. Since as far back as 2011, delivery of all letters, advertising and parcels by the Austrian Post has been carbon neutral, while by 2030 all deliveries should be 100% CO2-free.

The successful implementation of these sustainable and innovative technologies will require an incentive system that extends beyond Austrian and European legislation if they are to be developed in a way that is economically feasible.