OMV Petrom has completed a €115 million modernisation of the electrical infrastructure at its Petrobrazi refinery in Romania. The works are intended to prepare the site for sustainable fuel and green hydrogen projects. The investment covers upgrades to the refinery’s power supply arrangements.
The scope includes a new high-voltage connection to a Transelectrica substation. OMV Petrom also installed a modern electrical substation and built a separate distribution facility. The upgraded system is designed to support both existing refinery operations and new low-carbon installations.
Petrobrazi already generates almost all of the electricity it consumes. In parallel, a 7-MW solar plant is under construction at the site. The electrical modernisation is therefore aligned with current generation and additional on-site capacity.
Grid works supporting sustainable fuels and hydrogen plans
OMV Petrom said the upgraded infrastructure will connect its conventional operations with planned hydrogen and renewable-fuels activities. The company’s broader investment programme at Petrobrazi includes sustainable aviation fuel and hydrotreated vegetable oil production, alongside green hydrogen development. These projects rely on the refinery’s ability to integrate new low-carbon installations.
The company plans to invest around €750 million in sustainable aviation fuel, hydrotreated vegetable oil and two green hydrogen plants at Petrobrazi. The largest element is a €560 million SAF and HVO plant. Construction of that facility began in February 2025.
The SAF and HVO plant is scheduled to start operating in 2028. It will produce as much as 250,000 tonnes of sustainable fuels annually. OMV Petrom has also secured feedstock arrangements for the SAF and HVO project through an external supply agreement.
SAF and HVO feedstock contract with Astra Bioplant
In 2025, OMV Petrom signed a supply agreement with Bulgaria’s Astra Bioplant for pre-treated used cooking oil. More than 80% of the feedstock required during the plant’s first eight years has been contracted. The agreement supports the input needs associated with the planned sustainable fuels output.
The completed electrical upgrade at Petrobrazi is positioned as part of the enabling infrastructure for both ongoing refinery operations and incoming low-carbon units. It includes transmission, substation and distribution components intended to support the site’s transition plans toward hydrogen and renewable fuels.
