In order to create fertilizers, melamine, and technical nitrogen at the Linz manufacturing facility, Verbund AG and Borealis AG, two Austrian energy companies, are collaborating on a project.
The collaborative project will build a 60 MW electrolysis plant that will be fueled by green electricity and has been given the IPCEI classification by the EU. The plant will generate environmentally friendly hydrogen for the Borealis manufacturing site and offer grid services for the transmission system. The oxygen released during electrolysis will also be employed in the manufacturing process.
When the electrolysis facility is operational in 2025, it will be able to offset up to 90,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
This collaborative effort is another example of how Borealis is re-inventing necessities for sustainable living, according to Thomas Gang, chief executive of Borealis. “For Borealis, green hydrogen is an alternative to natural gas in the production of ammonia, and using it will result in a reduction in CO2 emissions,” he said.
The oil and gas giant OMV AG, which owns a majority of the Vienna-based chemicals and fertilizer business, has already made efforts to make its operations more environmentally friendly. Most recently, Borealis decided to purchase 800 GWh of Finnish wind energy to feed its Porvoo manufacturing facilities. To lessen its carbon footprint, it has put a 1-MWp solar array on the top of its Linz production facility.
