Disruption in operations at OMV Schwechat, located near Vienna
Austria's Schwechat Refinery Experiences Partial Shutdown, Affecting Petrochemical Production
Austria's sole refinery, the Schwechat refinery operated by OMV, experienced a partial production halt on Tuesday, 9:00 AM, affecting some unspecified units, particularly those involved in the production of petrochemical basics, ethylene, and propylene.
The disruption, which occurred on March 2025, notably impacted the availability of bitumen products, with at least one buyer unable to lift volumes during that period. However, the production of fuels at the refinery remains unaffected.
OMV, the refinery's operator, is working diligently to resolve the disruption. The company has announced that efforts to restart the petrochemical facility are currently in full swing.
Despite the disruption, the relevant authorities have been informed about the situation. The industrial park's fire brigade, the district administrative authority of Bruck an der Leitha, and the municipality of Schwechat have been notified about the ongoing operations.
All safety measures, including the visible flare operation, were carried out in accordance with existing safety guidelines and regulations. The flare stack operation was initiated as an immediate measure.
Regarding ethylene and propylene production, no direct information from the search results states that the partial shutdown affected these petrochemical products specifically. However, OMV’s Schwechat refinery is integrated with petrochemical operations and recently enhanced its green hydrogen capacity.
OMV is investing in a 140 MW electrolyser green hydrogen plant at Schwechat, expected to be operational by the end of 2027. This investment aims to enhance the refinery’s integration with petrochemicals and potentially offset disruptions in chemical outputs like ethylene and propylene.
The commissioning of Austria’s largest green hydrogen plant at Schwechat in April 2025 may help stabilize or even improve sustainable chemical production in the medium term. Thus, the potential impact on ethylene and propylene production from the March partial halt appears limited or unspecified, and ongoing investments in green hydrogen infrastructure should improve the refinery’s petrochemical production resilience and sustainability going forward.
It's important to note that the refinery's fuel delivery is fully guaranteed, ensuring that consumers are not affected by this partial shutdown.
As of August 2025, no new information about the disruption of petrochemical production has been provided. OMV continues to work tirelessly to resolve the disruption and restore full production at the Schwechat refinery.
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The partial shutdown at Austria's Schwechat Refinery, which occurred in March 2025, affected not only the production of petrochemical basics like ethylene and propylene, but also the industry's finance sector, as the disruption might have potential implications on the refinery's future petrochemical production and overall profitability. In the long run, investments in green hydrogen infrastructure, such as OMV's 140 MW electrolyser plant at Schwechat, aim to improve the refinery's petrochemical production resilience and sustainability, thereby reducing future impacts on energy-related products.
