CAC Builds Biofuel Plant for OMV in Schwechat, Austria

(Chemieanlagenbau Chemnitz) CAC is building one of the first biofuel plants in Europe incorporating innovative co-processing technology for its customer OMV. OMV invests nearly 200 million euros in industrial plant following development of innovative co-processing technology.

Chemieanlagenbau Chemnitz (CAC) has been assigned by OMV with overall responsibility for the construction of a biofuel plant. With this project CAC is realizing one of the first large-scale plants in Europe to use innovative co-processing to produce carbon-neutral fuels. For this purpose biogenic input materials are processed together in combination with fossil, oil-based raw material in a hydrogenation facility at the refinery. The Vienna-based international oil, gas and chemicals company is investing about 200 million euros in the conversion at the site in Schwechat (Austria). This is in line with the EU requirement for biofuels to adhere to strict ecological and social criteria throughout the value chain.

With this process, the hydrogenated vegetable oil should lead to an annual reduction in OMV’s carbon footprint of up to 360,000 metric tons of fossil CO₂. This is equivalent to the annual emissions of around 200,000 cars driving an average of 12,000 km per year. The product meets the highest quality standards and can be freely used in any type of vehicle. The technology applied is not limited to vegetable oil – waste products (such as used cooking oil) and advanced feedstocks are also possible and will be used based on availability. OMV expects demand for its hydrogenated biofuels to increase ten-fold by 2030.

“With this project we are joining OMV in taking a further step towards sustainable mobility,” declared Jörg Engelmann, managing director of CAC, which is currently launching its technology for manufacturing synthetic gasoline on an industrial scale onto the market. “Only with technological openness we can provide rapid and sustainable protection for our environment.”

With overall responsibility for all phases of the project, CAC is undertaking detail engineering, including project management and project controlling, procurement services and construction site management. This includes the supply of equipment and bulk materials (piping, instrumentation, electrotechnical material) as well as responsibility for construction and assembly work.

OMV produces and markets oil and gas, innovative energy and high-end petrochemical solutions – in a responsible way. With Group sales of EUR 23 bn and a workforce of around 20,000 employees in 2019, OMV Aktiengesellschaft is one of Austria’s largest listed industrial companies. In Upstream, OMV has a strong base in Central and Eastern Europe as well as a balanced international portfolio, with Middle East & Africa, the North Sea, Russia and Asia-Pacific as further core regions. Daily average production was 487,000 boe/d in 2019. In Downstream, OMV operates three refineries in Europe and owns a 15% share in ADNOC Refining and Trading JV, with a total annual processing capacity of 24.9 mn tons. Furthermore, OMV has a 75% participation in Borealis, one of the world’s leading producers of polyolefins. The Company operates about 2,100 filling stations in ten European countries. OMV runs gas storage facilities in Austria and Germany. In 2019, gas sales volumes amounted to around 137 TWh. Sustainability is an integral part of OMV’s corporate strategy. OMV supports the transition to a lower-carbon economy and has set measurable targets for reducing carbon intensity and introducing new energy and petrochemical solutions.

Reliable, experienced and approachable, CAC is an internationally leading plant engineering company in the field of process and chemical engineering. In the business fields of inorganic chemicals, refineries and petrochemicals, gas technology and industrial plant CAC offers the entire range of services of an engineering and plant construction company. This begins with the development of a concept, continues through the planning stage and turnkey construction to the point of commissioning of complex plant and plant units – in close co-operation with the customer at all times. With around 400 employees, 270 at the headquarters in Chemnitz, CAC has constructed over 500 industrial plants worldwide in the course of over 55 years. More information about Chemieanlagenbau Chemnitz GmbH can be found at: www.cac-chem.de HUGO PETERSEN GmbN is the world's largest technology provider for sulphuric and hydraulic acid production as well as gas cleaning processes, it has been part of the CAC Group of Companies since 2005 In 2006 the engineering company BiProTech Sp. z.o. o. was added as a second subsidiary. READ MORE