OMV showcases excellence in technology

Austria’s OMV has built an innovation and technology centre that allow OMV to build technologies that are successfully applied in Austria and then are put to use worldwide by OMV’s upstream units.

The centre is located in Gänserndorf/Lower Austria where the exceptional technologies deployed by OMV are presented with the aid of state-of-the-art visualisations. As the Governor of Lower Austria, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, saw for herself recently when she unveiled the building in a very small circle because of coronavirus restrictions, with Johann Pleininger, OMV Executive Board member for Upstream and deputy chairman, and Reinhard J. Oswald, senior vice president and managing director of OMV Austria.

After mentioning the longstanding partnership, the Lower Austria Governor emphasised OMV’s talent for innovation: “You can literally experience Austria’s pioneering spirit here. The goal of making OMV’s technological achievements easy to understand has been impressively achieved. The OMV Innovation & Technology Centre is a great stage for roots and visions, for thinking big and for global innovation ‘Made in Lower Austria’”. During the event, Governor Mikl-Leitner was able to have conversations with apprentices on site and to convince herself of the innovative and high-quality apprenticeship training offered by OMV. OMV is currently training 77 apprentices for technical and economic professions.

For Johann Pleininger, the Innovation & Technology Centre in Gänserndorf is a reflection of OMV’s innovative strength and technology development: “Oil is a valuable resource that can not only be used as energy, but can also be further processed into vital medicines and high-quality plastics. We started producing oil and gas here in Weinviertel more than 60 years ago. Today we are taking the data, experience and innovative developments gathered here over decades and applying them worldwide. They allow us to remain competitive and to do justice to the challenges of today and of future generations”.

The main focus is on the technology areas geology and geophysics, drilling technology, production technology (artificial lifting), Smart Oil Recovery, material & corrosion, water treatment and Nano technology. In the middle is the centerpiece: a 360-degree theatre with a diameter of eight meters and a height of six meters that takes visitors on a seven-minute-long journey through the upstream world of OMV, above and below ground.

The building is designed for large visitor groups. Starting with OMV employees, current and future partners, and OMV stakeholders. An additional program is already being developed for universities and schools. At a later stage, the building should also open to a broader audience.