voestalpine AG, an Austria-based steelmaker, and the energy company VERBUND are expanding their H2FUTURE green hydrogen plant in Linz, the world’s longest-running proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis facility. This EUR 16.4 million expansion will include a compression and purification plant and five hydrogen storage tanks.

The H2FUTURE Follow-up joint research project, a collaboration between voestalpine and VERBUND, aims to advance hydrogen production and quality of purity and pressure under fluctuating conditions. The original plant, operational since 2019, can produce 1,200 cubic meters of green hydrogen per hour.

voestalpine plans to use the green hydrogen in other research projects as part of its greentec steel initiative, targeting net-zero CO2 emissions in steel production by 2050.

Functional tests for the expansion begin in January 2026, with the first research results expected at the end of 2026. The project is expected to be completed in December 2029.