MOL inaugurates “largest green hydrogen plant” in Central and Eastern Europe

MOL Group has developed a 10 megawatt capacity green hydrogen plant in Százhalombatta, Hungary, which it said is the largest in Central and Eastern Europe.
The €22 million investment makes fuel production more sustainable: the plant will reduce the Danube Refinery's carbon dioxide emissions by 25,000 tonnes per year, according to the company.
MOL added it will be able to produce 1,600 tonnes of clean, carbon-neutral green hydrogen per year.
The investment is in line with the MOL Group's SHAPE TOMORROW corporate strategy to make the region more sustainable, competitive and self-sufficient.
The new technology will gradually replace the natural gas-based production process, which currently accounts for one sixth of the MOL Group's total carbon dioxide emissions.
The plant will start producing in the second half of 2024: MOL will use the green hydrogen primarily in its own network for fuel production.
Plug Power's electrolysis equipment uses electricity from renewable sources to break down water into hydrogen and oxygen.
This means that no polluting by-products are generated and, the plant produces 8-9 tonnes of pure oxygen per tonne of hydrogen.
"MOL Group has reached another milestone: we can now produce green hydrogen without producing any greenhouse gases," said József Molnár, CEO of MOL Group, at the inauguration ceremony of the new green hydrogen plant. "Using this technology, we are able to achieve the same emissions reduction as if we took roughly 5,500 cars off the road overnight.
"Today, our new green hydrogen plant is only making MOL's industrial operations greener, but tomorrow it will offer solutions for the whole industry and hydrogen mobility. After Száhalombatta, we will take the technology to the other two fuel production units of the group to make the fuel production process more sustainable at each of MOL Group's refineries."
“We are thrilled to celebrate, in partnership with MOL, the inauguration of one of Europe's largest green hydrogen plants supporting a refinery," stated Plug CEO Andy Marsh. "As a potent way to reduce carbon emissions within refinery operations, we are proud to equip MOL with cutting-edge electrolyser technology to efficiently produce green hydrogen. Together, we are advancing towards carbon neutrality, fostering greener operations, and propelling the hydrogen economy forward."