Austrian steelmaker Voestalpine and energy company VERBUND are expanding their long-running green hydrogen project, H2FUTURE, at the Voestalpine site in Linz. The facility, which has been operational since 2019, was once the world’s largest hydrogen pilot plant using proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis.
The expansion includes the addition of compression and purification systems, five hydrogen storage tanks, and infrastructure for loading and further use of green hydrogen. These upgrades are part of the H2FUTURE Follow-up, a joint research initiative focused on improving hydrogen quality and pressure standards.
Installation is currently underway after two years of preparation. Functional testing is set to begin in January 2026, with initial research results expected by the end of that year. The project is scheduled to conclude in December 2029.
Voestalpine CEO Herbert Eibensteiner emphasized the company’s long-term goal of carbon-neutral steel production by 2050. As part of its greentec steel initiative, Voestalpine plans to commission electric arc furnaces in Linz and Donawitz by 2027, phasing out two coal-based blast furnaces. Hydrogen, he noted, will be central to this transformation, and insights from the H2FUTURE Follow-up project will be critical in advancing their decarbonization roadmap.
The H2FUTURE plant features 12 PEM stacks, each with 50 electrolysis cells, and a connected load of 6 MW. It can produce up to 1,200 cubic meters of green hydrogen per hour. Since commissioning, the plant has produced several hundred tons of hydrogen and undergone rigorous stress testing to assess performance under fluctuating loads, helping stabilize power grids affected by variable renewable energy inputs.
