Region's Largest Green Hydrogen Plant in Production

The largest green hydrogen plant in Central and Eastern Europe, with a capacity of 10 megawatts, has started production at the Hungarian Mol Group's refinery in Százhalombatta, just south of Budapest, producing 1,600 tons of clean, carbon-neutral green hydrogen per year, which is used in fuel production, the company informed MTI on Wednesday.

The statement said that the Mol Group handed over its new plant in Százhalombatta in April and has recently completed the necessary tasks to bring the plant into production, including the necessary pressure tests, the inspection of the process control system, the installation and connection of the electrolysis cells to the system and the commissioning of the water treatment system.

The US Plug Power electrolysis equipment uses electricity from a renewable source to break down water into hydrogen and oxygen. This means that no polluting by-products are produced and the plant produces 8-9 tons of clean oxygen per one ton of hydrogen. The US company has offered Mol an innovative and reliable technology, with almost 50 years of operational experience in the use of hydrogen generators optimized for the production of pure hydrogen, they said.

The statement quoted Ádám Horváth, Mol Group's Director of New and Sustainable Businesses, as saying that green hydrogen is a clean and versatile energy source that is currently used in fuel production to reduce the company's carbon footprint, but is also expected to be used directly in the transport sector.

The production and use of green hydrogen is an innovative way to help achieve the smart green transition that is at the heart of Mol's strategy, he indicated. He added that, after Százhalombatta, similar plants are planned in Bratislava and Rijeka, the latter of which is expected to start operations in 2026.