Greece’s Ministry of Environment and Energy has approved the environmental terms for a large-scale green hydrogen plant to be built within the Motor Oil refinery complex in Agioi Theodoroi, near Corinth. The facility will occupy 15.8 acres adjacent to the existing refinery.
The unit will form part of the EPHYRA project, an EU-supported initiative to produce renewable hydrogen through electrolysis—a process that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity from renewable sources. The project, co-financed by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, Hydrogen Europe, and Hydrogen Europe Research, aims to demonstrate large-scale renewable hydrogen production integrated into industrial operations in Southeast Europe.
Initially designed for 30 MW of capacity, EPHYRA has been expanded to 50 MW with additional funding from the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility. Once operational, it is expected to produce up to 4,500 tons of green hydrogen annually in its first phase and 7,500 tons per year at full capacity. The project also foresees the production of oxygen for internal use at the refinery.
A hydrogen compression and loading station will also be built on site, enabling storage and transportation of the gas in high-pressure containers or vehicles equipped with hydrogen cylinders.
All electricity required for electrolysis will come from renewable sources through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Motor Oil’s renewable energy subsidiary, MORE, covering roughly 70,000 MWh per year.
Part of a wider European push
The EPHYRA project aligns with the European Union’s broader drive to expand hydrogen capacity and decarbonize heavy industry. Once completed, the electrolyzer will operate commercially for at least two years, supplying hydrogen both to the refinery and to external users.
By embedding green hydrogen production within existing refining infrastructure, EPHYRA represents one of the first industrial-scale efforts in the region to combine traditional energy operations with renewable processes.
Greece’s first hydrogen valley
EPHYRA will also anchor TRIERES Valley, Greece’s first “hydrogen valley” initiative, designed to build a local hydrogen ecosystem connecting producers, users, research institutions, and public authorities. Supported by the same European innovation platforms, TRIERES aims to enable new hydrogen uses across mobility, shipping, and synthetic fuels, while linking Greece to emerging clean energy networks in Cyprus, Egypt, and neighboring regions.
Expanding Greece’s hydrogen map
In parallel, Motor Oil and Greece’s Public Power Corporation (DEI) are jointly developing a second 50-MW hydrogen production unit in Amyntaio, northern Greece. Known as North Project 1, the €70 million venture—also approved by the Environment Ministry—will produce hydrogen exclusively from renewable sources.
Together, these projects signal Greece’s growing role in the European hydrogen economy, combining industrial decarbonization with efforts to position the country as a regional energy hub in the Eastern Mediterranean.
