OMV Petrom, the largest integrated energy producer in Southeast Europe, will invest approximately 750 million euros at Petrobrazi to transform the refinery into the first major producer of sustainable fuels in the region. The company has made the final investment decision to build a SAF/HVO facility along with two facilities for green hydrogen which will be used in the production of biofuels.
“We are moving forward with our transformation, in addition to our new renewable power projects, today we have taken a decisive step towards decarbonising transport in Romania,” said Christina Verchere, CEO of OMV Petrom. “In total, by 2030, we’re committing 11 billion euros to transform the company for a lower carbon future, both in Romania and the region.”
“Together with electro-mobility, biofuels are the answer to low carbon transport and we expect a gradual increase in demand for these products,” added Radu Căprău, OMV Petrom Executive Board Member responsible for Refining and Marketing. “Thanks to the investments we announced today, we will be able to replace imports with biofuels produced here in Romania. For our customers, this means product certainty and less carbon emissions. We want to continue to be our customer’s first choice in the future by offering them the products they need.”
The investments for the SAF/HVO production facility amount to 560 million euros. The plant will have a production capacity of 250 kilotonnes (kt)/year, of SAF and HVO as well as by-products like bio-naphtha and bio-LPG, which are used in the chemical industry. The high flexibility of the installation allows for adjusting the product mix according to market demand and the available feedstock mix. The plant will have an annual consumption of around 11 kt of hydrogen, most of which will be provided by the two new green hydrogen production units.
The investment for the two green hydrogen units is estimated at approximately 190 million euros, of which up to 50 million euros is from European funds, through the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience (NPRR). OMV Petrom and the Ministry of Energy signed the financing contracts at the beginning of this year.
The two units will have a total capacity of 55 megawatts (MW), with a total annual production of green hydrogen estimated at around 8 kt. Integrating green hydrogen into sustainable fuels, such as sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel, will result in at least a 70 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to conventional fuels.
Thus Petrobrazi becomes the first refinery in the country certified to produce SAF and HVO through the co-processing of biological raw materials.
In order to ensure access to a safe source of raw materials to produce biofuels, OMV Petrom has also acquired a 50 per cent stake in Respiră Verde, a leader in the collection of used cooking oil in Romania.
