The construction of Repsol’s first advanced biofuels plant in the Iberian Peninsula has just started. Located in the complex in Cartagena, Spain, the new facilities are the result of a 200 million euro investment by the company.
The plant will have the capacity to produce 250,000 tons of advanced biofuels per year, namely biodiesel, biojet, bionaphtha and biopropane, to power planes, trucks or cars. Advanced biofuels will be produced from different types of food industry and other wastes, such as used cooking oils. In addition to being a sustainable alternative for means of transport, they will allow a reduction of CO2 emissions between 65% and 85%, compared to traditional fuels. Thus, 900,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will be avoided each year. The facilities should be operational in the first half of 2023.
The construction will generate approximately 1,000 jobs in the various phases of the project and the involvement of 240 ancillary companies, of which 21% will be local, 25% regional, 42% national and 12% international.
The project is part of the transformation process that Repsol has implemented in its industrial complexes to decarbonize the manufacturing processes of essential products with a low, zero or even negative carbon footprint. At the same time, the company will be able to give a second life to waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill, by transforming it into products with high added value.
“With this project, Cartagena will consolidate itself as a distribution center for essential products for the present and the future, and as an example of Repsol’s commitment to sustainable mobility”, says Antonio Brufau, President from Repsol. The official also called on public administrations to create “facilitating, flexible and non-exclusive regulations”, which allow the development of future projects, because only in this way “we will protect our economy, our industry and our employment”. .
