OMV Petrom has completed foundations and installed major process equipment for its €560 million sustainable fuels project at the Petrobrazi refinery in Romania, moving the facility towards its planned 2028 commissioning.
The new unit is designed to produce up to 250,000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel (HVO) annually, using renewable feedstocks including vegetable oils and used cooking oil. The project is also being developed alongside additional electrolyser capacity to provide green hydrogen for the refinery.
OMV Petrom said the construction milestone includes the installation of process equipment such as columns and reactors reaching up to 60 metres in height. Around 20,000 cubic metres of concrete have been used for the completed foundations.
Petrobrazi unit designed for multiple renewable fuel products
The new production unit is being designed with flexibility to adjust its output according to market demand and feedstock availability.
In addition to SAF and HVO, the facility will be capable of producing bio-naphtha and bio-LPG. This flexibility is intended to allow OMV Petrom to adjust its product mix as demand develops across aviation, road transport and other fuel markets.
The company said the fuels produced at the unit are expected to deliver at least 65% lifecycle CO₂ reductions compared with fossil-fuel alternatives.
The project’s feedstock strategy includes vegetable oils and used cooking oil, placing waste-based and renewable lipid feedstocks at the centre of the planned production system.
Green hydrogen capacity to support sustainable fuels production
The Petrobrazi project also includes the development of additional electrolyser capacity for green hydrogen.
Hydrogen is an important input for renewable diesel and SAF production through hydroprocessing routes, where hydrogen is used to convert renewable feedstocks into hydrocarbons suitable for use as transport fuels.
OMV Petrom plans to bring the sustainable fuels unit and the associated hydrogen infrastructure into operation in 2028.
The combination of renewable feedstocks and green hydrogen is intended to reduce the lifecycle carbon intensity of the resulting fuels compared with conventional refinery products.
€560 million investment reshapes Petrobrazi refinery
The sustainable fuels project represents a significant investment in the transformation of the Petrobrazi refinery as European transport markets increase their focus on lower-carbon fuels.
Radu Căprău, a member of the OMV Petrom Executive Board, said the company is investing €560 million in a unit with annual sustainable fuels capacity of 250,000 tonnes.
He added that the project would support emissions reductions in sectors where electrification remains difficult, particularly aviation and heavy transport.
According to Căprău, the completed foundations and installation of equipment up to 60 metres high mark progress in adapting Petrobrazi to changing market requirements and the broader energy transition.
Petrobrazi positioned as regional low-carbon fuels hub
OMV Petrom is positioning the investment as part of the longer-term transformation of Petrobrazi into a regional production centre for lower-carbon fuels.
The planned combination of SAF, HVO, bio-naphtha and bio-LPG production provides exposure to several renewable fuel markets rather than relying on a single product.
For the European aviation sector, the SAF capacity is particularly relevant as regulatory requirements increase the demand for sustainable aviation fuels. At the same time, renewable diesel production can address demand from heavy-duty transport and other applications where direct electrification may be more challenging.
The project’s ability to process different feedstocks and adjust its product slate could also become important as the availability, cost and sustainability characteristics of renewable feedstocks evolve.
2028 commissioning will be key project milestone
With major civil works completed and large process equipment already installed, the next phase will involve continued construction, equipment integration and preparation for commissioning.
OMV Petrom has targeted 2028 for the start-up of the sustainable fuels unit, together with the associated green hydrogen developments.
The eventual scale of production and the project’s contribution to emissions reduction will depend on the availability and sustainability of feedstocks, hydrogen supply, operating performance and market conditions once the facility enters operation.
Bioenergy Business Analysis
OMV Petrom’s Petrobrazi investment combines three elements that are increasingly important to Europe’s renewable fuels market: SAF capacity, HVO production and lower-carbon hydrogen. At 250,000 tonnes per year, the planned unit would provide a sizeable new source of renewable fuel output in the region, while its flexible product configuration could allow OMV Petrom to respond to changing demand between aviation and other transport markets.
The project’s feedstock mix will be an important factor in determining its eventual environmental and commercial performance. Used cooking oil can provide a waste-based feedstock route, but competition for sustainable lipid feedstocks is increasing as SAF, renewable diesel and other biofuel markets expand. The planned green hydrogen integration is another significant component because hydrogen sourcing can influence both production economics and lifecycle emissions.
The 2028 target also places the project within a period of accelerating European demand for sustainable aviation fuels. Its progress from construction into commissioning will therefore be relevant not only to OMV Petrom’s refinery transformation but also to the development of renewable fuel supply capacity in Central and Eastern Europe.
