MOL Group Launches Largest Green Hydrogen Plant in Central and Eastern Europe

At the Százhalombatta refinery in Hungary, MOL has recently launched a new green hydrogen plant with a capacity of 10 megawatts. This plant is the largest of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe and represents a major advancement in clean energy technology.

The green hydrogen plant produces 1,600 tonnes of clean, carbon-neutral hydrogen each year. Green hydrogen is made using renewable energy sources and does not produce carbon dioxide during its production, making it a sustainable alternative to traditional fossil fuels.

This green hydrogen is used at the Danube Refinery, where it helps in making fuels. By using this green hydrogen, the refinery can cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 25,000 tonnes annually. To put this into perspective, this is equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by about 5,400 average cars in a year.

In April, MOL Group officially launched its new green hydrogen plant at Százhalombatta, which is designed to produce around 1,600 tonnes of clean, carbon-neutral green hydrogen annually.

 This production is achieved using a 10-megawatt electrolysis unit provided by Plug Power. To prepare the plant for operation, several crucial tasks were completed. These included conducting pressure tests to ensure the safety and integrity of the equipment, inspecting the process control system to confirm its proper functioning, and installingand connecting the electrolytic cells essential for the hydrogen production process.

Additionally, the water treatment system, necessary for preparing the water used in electrolysis, was put into operation. These steps collectively ensured that the plant was fully equipped and ready to start producing green hydrogen efficiently and effectively, marking a significant step towards sustainable energy solutions in the region.

Using energy from renewable sources, Plug Power's electrolysis apparatus converts water into hydrogen and oxygen. This indicates that the plant produces 8–9 tonnes of pure oxygen for every tonne of hydrogen produced, with no harmful byproducts produced.

With nearly 50 years of operational expertise, the US company's hydrogen generators, tailored to produce pure hydrogen, are a dependable and creative technology that MOL has been able to use.

“Green hydrogen is a clean and versatile energy source that we currently use for fuel production to reduce our carbon dioxide footprint, and according to our plans, soon it can be directly used in the transportation sector as well. Production and use of green hydrogen helps the green energy transition in an innovative way, which is a fundamental goal of MOL’s strategy. After Százhalombatta, we are planning similar plants in Bratislava and Rijeka of which the latter can commence operations in 2026” – said Ádám Horváth, New and Sustainable Businesses Vice President of MOL Group.