Gas for Industry

Natural gas is the fossil fuel with the lowest carbon intensity. As such, natural gas is the fastest growing major energy source among fossil fuels, supported by strong global decarbonization policies and more stringent emissions standards. Gas demand will grow at an annual rate of 1.2% by 2030. This is attributable to the ability of natural gas to displace coal in the power generation sector. It also provides a reliable fuel source for the energy transition, serving as backup for the increasing share of renewables in the power generation mix.

Gas (natural gas, biomethane, hydrogen, and synthetic methane) supports the integration of renewable energies. That is why OMV is actively exploring options with partners for taking the key power-to-gas technology to an industrial scale. With power-to-gas, wind and solar energy can be stored as hydrogen and sector coupling becomes a reality. Separate gas and electrical grids have the potential to become one energy cloud with fluid transitions. OMV also operates gas infrastructure (pipeline and storage facilities) in Austria and Germany, which are essential for ensuring the security of supply in our markets. The gas infrastructure will also play an essential role in cost-effectively making the shift toward carbon-neutral gas solutions (synthetic gas, biomethane, and hydrogen) and an integrated energy system.

Gas sales rose significantly in 2020. Total gas sales in Downstream Gas amounted to 164.0 TWh (2019: 136.7 TWh). In Upstream, OMV has been consistently increasing the share of natural gas in production and aims for gas to account for around 60% of the production portfolio. In 2020, gas production accounted for 62% (2019: 57%) of total Upstream production. 

Climate-Neutral Gas Offering for Customers

In 2019, we began offering our B2B customers the option of procuring climate-neutral gas. In 2020, we rolled out climate-neutral gas at our filling stations in Austria and Slovenia. Through our cooperation with ClimatePartner, we are able to offer our customers a carbon-offsetting service for emissions generated during the consumption of gas. We have defined a rigorous set of criteria and standards for the selection of climate protection projects to ensure optimal emissions offsetting verification. For instance, the technologies we selected for climate protection in our projects are wind power and forest protection. Climate protection projects are verified according to the internationally recognized standards for voluntary emissions reduction: the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Gold Standard (GS).

SDG target: 13.1 Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries