OMV to close public hydrogen stations in Austria by September

Strategic shift reflects low demand and rising focus on electric vehicle infrastructure.

Austria’s entire public hydrogen refueling network is set to close by the end of September, following a strategic decision by OMV, the country’s state-owned oil and gas company. 

According to an alert on the h2.live platform, the company will discontinue operations at its five hydrogen stations in Vienna-Floridsdorf, Asten, Vienna, Graz, and Innsbruck. Only one hydrogen refueling station will remain in the country, a Wien Energie facility north of Vienna, that is accessible only via private contract, leaving Austria without any publicly available hydrogen stations.

OMV stated that the decision followed a “comprehensive analysis of current market conditions and the company’s strategic direction.” 

In a statement to H2 View, the company cited lower-than-expected demand for hydrogen as a transport fuel since opening Austria’s first station in 2012. Data from the European Union indicates only 67 fuel cell electric vehicles were registered in Austria in 2023.

Moving forward, OMV will focus on electric mobility, targeting the installation of 5,000 EV charging points across Central and Eastern Europe by 2030. The company also plans to commission a 10MW electrolysis plant at its Schwechat refinery later this year.

Germany’s H2 Mobility recently announced the closure of 22 similar stations, and Shell has exited hydrogen mobility markets in both the UK and California, citing strategic realignment.