Carinthia starts hydrogen bus fleet: a step towards green mobility

Carinthia starts hydrogen bus fleet: a step towards green mobility

In May 2026, Carinthia will take a significant step towards sustainable mobility. In the Villach region, the first hydrogen bus fleet is put into operation, which is operated with emission -free hydrogen from green energy. This project, called "Decarb" (Decarbonising Carinthian Bus Transport), is jointly stunned by the state government and various company partners.

The implementation includes the construction of an electrolysis system, which is supposed to bring two megawatts. This system is placed in the waste recycling system in Arnoldstein and only uses renewable energies for hydrogen production. Once in operation, a total of 36 hydrogen buses, including 35 for regional traffic and one for city traffic, are used to drive the streets in the Villach area.

sustainable energy generation

The planned electrolysis system aims to establish hydrogen as a sustainable drive form for local public transport. One of the interesting features of this initiative is the return of the oxygen generated as a by -product to the existing waste incineration plant and the use of the waste heat for feeding into the local district heating network.

To ensure the refueling of the hydrogen buses, a public refueling station at the location of Österreichische Postbus AG is built in Villach. This new station will not only be available to the hydrogen buses, but can also be used by other customers. The new buses are expected to cover around two million kilometers with renewable energies every year.

financing and project costs

The total costs for the hydrogen project amount to around 40 million euros. A large part of these funds, around 28 million euros, comes from public funding from the EU and the federal government. State Councilor Sebastian Schuschnig describes the financial resources as a direct investment in the location as well as in the development of the hydrogen economy and new technologies in Carinthia.

This initiative is part of a wider vision of making Carinthia a leading hydrogen model region by 2035. The country would like to contribute to the decarbonization of industry and public transport as well as reach the energy and climate goals of the European Union. Shushing emphasizes the need to position Carinthia as a pioneer in the area of hydrogen technology in order to benefit from the developments in the area of sustainable traffic management that take place throughout Europe.

The structure of a sustainable hydrogen infrastructure is not only important for Carinthia, but could also serve as a model for other regions. Relaxing steps such as the creation of a hydrogen roadmap by 2030 show the country's commitment to find innovative solutions for managing current challenges in traffic and in energy supply.

More details on this topic are in a recent report www.meinbezirk.at to read.