OMV and VERBUND start up expansion of ground-mounted photovoltaic plant in Schönkirchen/Lower Austria

• Existing photovoltaic plant increased by 3.898 MWp to 15.32 MWp total capacity
• Total savings of around 14,000 metric tons of CO2 per year (compared to fossil power production with coal)
• A significant portion of the OMV needs for its own operations is being met by climate-friendly solar power 

OMV, the international integrated oil, gas and chemicals company headquartered in Vienna, and VERBUND, Austria’s largest electricity company and one of the largest producers of electricity from hydropower in Europe, have commissioned the further expansion of the ground-mounted photovoltaic plant on the OMV site in Schönkirchen/Lower Austria. OMV and Verbund have equal stakes in this joint project.

On a 13.3-hectare (133,200 m²) landfill site owned by OMV in Schönkirchen/Lower Austria, a ground-mounted photovoltaic plant with a total output of 15.32 MWp is now operational. The resulting annual output of 15.84 GWh will be used to meet OMV’s own electricity requirements through climate-friendly solar energy. 

In the first expansion phase, a total of 34,600 east-west facing PV modules generated 12.10 GWh of solar electricity, roughly equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 3,400 households with savings equivalent to around 10,000 tonnes of CO2. This existing system has been supplemented by another 8,568 PV modules. The total capacity has thereby increased to 15.32 MWp with 15.84 GWh power generated, which corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of about 5,000 households and saves an additional 4,000 metric tons of CO2 per year.

“Together with VERBUND, we are now starting up the expansion of the ground-mounted photovoltaic plant in Schönkirchen/Lower Austria. In line with the OMV Strategy 2030, with this we are contributing to our goal of expanding the use of solar and wind power for our own operations to at least 1 TWh. This helps achieve our climate targets and allows us to consistently continue our path of reducing our carbon intensity”, Wilhelm Sackmaier, Managing Director OMV Austria Exploration & Production GmbH. 

“The VERBUND Strategy 2030 envisages significant growth in the area of renewable energies, with the goal of achieving around 20-25% of total generation from photovoltaics and onshore wind by 2030”, said Martin Wagner, Managing Director VERBUND Energy4Business. “With the commissioning of the second expansion stage, we are jointly taking another step towards the energy turnaround!”

Background Information

About VERBUND
VERBUND is Austria’s leading energy company and one of the largest producers of hydroelectricity in Europe. The Group generates around 97% of its electricity from renewable energy, primarily from hydropower. VERBUND trades electricity in 12 countries and generated around €874m group result and €1,579m in EBITDA in 2021 with approximately 3,200 employees. With its subsidiaries and partners, VERBUND is active in the generation of electricity, transmission and in international trading and sales. VERBUND has been quoted on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 1988 with 51% of the share capital being held by the Republic of Austria. 
 
VERBUND is one of the most environmentally friendly energy companies in Europe, contributes significantly to supply security and is particularly committed to climate and environmental protection, careful use of resources and social responsibility. Sustainability is an essential part of the corporate strategy and of the corporate responsibility which is defined in the code of conduct for sustainable management. VERBUND is working intensively on the expansion of renewable energy sources and is thus making a significant contribution to a low-carbon energy future. VERBUND is a signatory to the UN Global Compact and supports the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Further information: www.verbund.com

OMV Aktiengesellschaft
With Group sales revenues of EUR 36 bn and a workforce of around 22,400 employees in 2021, OMV is amongst Austria’s largest listed industrial companies.
In Chemicals & Materials, OMV through its subsidiary Borealis, is one of the world’s leading providers of advanced and circular polyolefin solutions and a European market leader in base chemicals, fertilizers, and plastics recycling. Together with its two major joint ventures – Borouge (with ADNOC, in the UAE and Singapore) and Baystar™ (with TotalEnergies, in the USA) – Borealis supplies products and services to customers across the globe. OMV’s Refining & Marketing business produces and markets fuels as well as feedstock for the chemical industry, operates three refineries in Europe, and holds a 15% stake in a refining joint venture in the UAE. OMV operates around 1,800 filling stations in ten European countries. In addition, the activities include Gas & Power Eastern Europe where it also operates a gas-fired power plant in Romania. In Exploration & Production, OMV explores and produces oil and gas in the four core regions of Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, North Sea, and Asia-Pacific. Average daily production in 2021 included production from a joint venture in Russia and amounted to 486,000 boe/d with a focus on natural gas (~60%). As of March 1, 2022, Russian entities are no longer consolidated. Its activities include Gas Marketing Western Europe, where it also operates gas storage facilities in Austria and Germany. 
OMV intends to transition from an integrated oil, gas, and chemicals company to become a leading provider of innovative and sustainable fuels, chemicals, and materials, while taking a leading global role in the circular economy. By switching over to a low-carbon business, OMV is striving to achieve net zero in all three Scopes by 2050 at the latest.