[3] The history of OMV began on 3 July 1956, when the company then known as "Österreichische Mineralölverwaltungs Aktiengesellschaft" was officially entered into the commercial register.

Four years later, in 1960, the company opened the Schwechat refinery near Vienna,[5] in 1968 the first natural gas supply contract with the former USSR were entered.

The International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) of Abu Dhabi acquired an initial 19.6% interest in the group at the end of 1994.

In the same year, the board members of OMV and Verbund, the Austrian utility group announced plans for a merger.

OMV then sold its entire stake in March 2009 after MOL rejected a takeover bid in 2008 and the European Commission imposed tough restrictions for an approval of the deal.

[8] On 31 October 2013, the acquisition deal with Norwegian Statoil containing participations in oil and gas fields and in development projects in Norway and the UK was closed.

[23] In December 2023 a Russian presidential decree gave the government the power to confiscate and forcibly sell off assets belonging to European energy firms including shares in the Yuzhno-Russkoye oil and gas field, currently owned by OMV and Wintershall Dea.

[24] The most important shareholdings of OMV Aktiengesellschaft are listed below, with other shareholdings held by the appropriate business segments:[25] In the Chemicals segment, OMV is one of the world's leading providers of advanced and circular polyolefin solutions and a European market leader in base chemicals and plastics recycling.

In Europe, refining activities are highly integrated with marketing to serve a strong branded retail network and a broad base of commercial customers.

[26]: 57 The Energy segment consists of Exploration & Production, Gas Marketing & Power, and the Low Carbon Business.

When the consortium that OMV took part in operated in Block 5A, approximately 12.000 people died and 160.000 were violently displaced by government troops from their land and homes, many forever.

Satellite pictures taken between 1994 and 2003 show that the activities coincided with a spectacular drop in agricultural land use in its concession area.

Sweden's Government gave the green light for the Public Prosecutor in October 2018 to indict the two top executives[30] On 1 November 2018, the Swedish Prosecution Authority notified Lundin Petroleum AB that the company may be liable to a corporate fine and forfeiture of economic benefits of SEK 3,285 (app.

The Swedish war crimes investigation raises the issue of access to remedy and reparation for victims of human rights violations linked with business activities.

In May 2016, representatives of communities in Block 5A claimed their right to remedy and reparation and called upon OMV, Lundin Petroleum and Petronas and their shareholders to pay off their debt to them.

Asser Institute for International Law in The Hague organized the conference 'Towards criminal liability of corporations for human rights violations: The Lundin case in Sweden'.

On 6 April 2001, OMV wrote to Human Rights Watch: "We have reached the conclusion that, despite problems, the influx of oil revenues could improve the social and humanitarian conditions of the Sudanese.

Oil exploration activities also represent immediate benefits to the local population, in terms of employment, infrastructure developments and humanitarian assistance... Our role is to constantly monitor the situation on the ground and to turn our perception of business ethics into reality by responsible action.

[42] The acquisition of 51% stake in Petrom was considered controversial as the privatisation contract was not made public and it consists of several disputed clauses.

Also fixing of tax for gas and oil exploration at 3 to 13.5 percent from the final delivery price for 10 years was criticised.

The Local Court Gaiesti ruled its decision in the file where OMV Petrom SA was sent to trial for involuntary manslaughter.

[47] The decision was met with indications by local environmental groups, who had successfully fought previous attempts to drill for fossil fuels in the area, that OMV could "expect resistance".

[49] In March 2020 two members of Extinction Rebellion Ōtautahi intercepted and boarded an OMV mobile drilling rig in the Marlborough Sounds from an inflatable boat, intending to occupy it for a week, but due to sickness of one of the protestors, the occupation was abandoned after 14 hours.