voestalpine and VERBUND Extend H2FUTURE Plant with €16.4 M Expansion for Hydrogen Compression and Storage

Photo credit: voestalpine

(IN BRIEF) voestalpine and VERBUND are expanding the H2FUTURE PEM electrolysis pilot in Linz, adding €16.4 million in compression, purification, and storage infrastructure—five new tanks and associated loading systems—to their 6 MW, 12-stack electrolyzer that has been producing 1 200 m³/h of green hydrogen since 2019. Installation starts this summer, functional tests begin January 2026, and results are due by year‐end. The follow-up supports voestalpine’s greentec steel transition—electric-arc furnaces powered by renewable hydrogen from 2027 and a coal-blast furnace phase-out en route to net-zero CO₂ by 2050—and bolsters grid stability by smoothing renewable energy variability.

(PRESS RELEASE) VIENNA, 9-Jul-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — voestalpine and Austria’s leading utility VERBUND are ramping up the H2FUTURE pilot in Linz—the world’s longest‐operating proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis plant—by adding compression, purification, storage, loading, and downstream utilization for green hydrogen. Launched in 2019 with a six-megawatt, 12-stack system that produces 1 200 m³ of hydrogen per hour, H2FUTURE will now feature a new compressor and purifier unit alongside five storage tanks. The €16.4 million expansion follows two years of planning and moves into installation this summer. Functional testing is slated for January 2026, with first research outcomes expected by late 2026 and the project running through December 2029.

Herbert Eibensteiner, CEO of voestalpine AG, emphasized that the Follow-up project underpins the greentec steel roadmap: “As we prepare electric-arc furnaces powered by renewables at Linz and Donawitz from 2027—and phase out coal-fired blast furnaces—insights from H2FUTURE Follow-up will be vital to our goal of net-zero‐CO₂ steelmaking by 2050.” VERBUND CEO Michael Strugl highlighted the plant’s role in grid stability: “With one-ton storage capacity, we can buffer renewable fluctuations and guarantee steady supply. Continuing collaboration with voestalpine extends the pioneering standards set in 2019.”

H2FUTURE—the world’s longest-running hydrogen pilot plant

The H2FUTURE plant, which has been in operation since 2019, is one of the world’s longest-running proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis plants. It consists of 12 “stacks,” each with 50 electrolysis cells, and has a connected load of six megawatts. This plant can produce 1,200 cubic meters of green hydrogen per hour. Since its commissioning, it has produced several hundred tons of green hydrogen, and carried out numerous test programs. A “stress test” confirmed the load capacity of the system in continuous operation and its ability to react quickly to large load changes. It is used in particular to compensate for frequency fluctuations in the electricity grid caused by the irregular availability of renewable energies or varying electricity demand.

The voestalpine Group

voestalpine is a globally leading steel and technology group with a unique combination of materials and processing expertise. voestalpine, which operates globally, has around 500 Group companies and locations in more than 50 countries on all five continents. The voestalpine Group has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 1995. With its premium products and system solutions, voestalpine is a leading partner to the automotive and machinery industries, as well as to the aerospace and energy industries. The company is also the global market leader in railway systems and special sections. voestalpine is committed to the global climate goals and has a clear plan for transforming steel production with its greentec steel program. In the business year 2024/25, the Group generated revenue of EUR 15.7 billion, with an operating result (EBITDA) of EUR 1.3 billion; it has around 49,700 employees worldwide.

Media Contact:

SOURCE: VERBUND AG