Portal de Cartagena
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| With an investment of 188 million euros | Repsol will build the first advanced low-emission biofuels plant in Spain at its Cartagena refinery, with the capacity to produce 250,000 tons per year of hydrobiodiesel, biojet, bionaphtha and biopropane.The plant, which is expected to be operational in 2023, will produce, from recycled raw materials, advanced biofuels that can be used in airplanes, trucks or cars, and will reduce 900,000 tons of CO2 per year.This pioneering facility will involve an investment of 188 million euros and will be equipped with cutting-edge technology and the most efficient solutions.Repsol will generate around 1,000 direct jobs during the construction and start-up phase, which will enable the industrial, economic and social development of the environment.In line with its commitment to be a net zero emissions company by 2050, Repsol reinforces with this investment its role as a relevant actor in the energy transition and as a key supplier of eco-fuels for transport, relying on the circular economy.Repsol will build the first advanced biofuel production plant in Spain at its Cartagena refinery.
The multi-energy company, which is committed to the circular economy as a tool for the efficient use of resources and the reduction of emissions, will supply 250,000 tons per year of advanced biofuels for planes, trucks and cars from this new facility.The new facility, whose construction will involve an estimated investment of 188 million euros, will include the start-up of a hydrogen plant that will feed a new hydrotreatment unit equipped with cutting-edge technology.This project is part of Repsol's commitment to the energy transition and its ambition to achieve zero net emissions by 2050.
The advanced biofuels produced at the Cartagena refinery will allow a saving of 900,000 tons of CO2 - which is equivalent to approximately to the absorption of CO2 from a forest with an area similar to 180,000 soccer fields-, in another initiative of the company to fight against climate change and, at the same time, give a new use to recycled raw materials.With this leading decarbonisation project, Repsol is committed to the development of the industrial sector and the generation of economic activity in Cartagena and the Murcia Region, while promoting direct, indirect and induced employment.
The jobs, for which there will be dozens of auxiliary companies, will require more than 1,000 professionals from different disciplines.
During the construction phase, an average of 700 workers from auxiliary companies will be needed, reaching 1,000 employees at peak times.The President of Repsol, Antonio Brufau, met today with the President of the Murcia Region, Fernando López Miras, at the regional government headquarters, to explain the details of Repsol's new advanced biofuels plant, an important project for Cartagena and for the whole of the autonomous community in terms of generation of economic activity and employment.An avant-garde projectThe project for the construction of the advanced biofuels plant will be developed in several phases.
The works, which have already begun with the tasks prior to the dismantling of disused facilities inside the refinery, will end in 2023 with the start-up of the new equipment.In parallel to the conditioning of the plots, the necessary interconnection works of lines will be carried out, both in the port area and inside the refinery, for the movement of raw material and the products resulting from the process.It is estimated that, on average, 300,000 tons of recycled raw materials will arrive at the port of Cartagena each year, which, after unloading at the maritime terminal, will be transported by different lines to the four new 9,000 m3 storage tanks that will be installed in the facilities where Repsol already operates today.
The tanks will be connected to the refinery, up to where the raw material will reach the new hydrotreatment unit.
For the storage of advanced biofuels and their subsequent supply to the national or export market, four new warehouses will be built inside the industrial complex.The CEO of Repsol, Josu Jon Imaz, highlighted at a press conference the importance of this pioneering project in Spain: "With this initiative, at Repsol we are decisively promoting a new technological path that will be key in our path towards carbon neutrality and which adds to the projects we have already deployed in energy efficiency, low emission electricity generation, renewable hydrogen, circular economy, synthetic fuels and CO2 capture, use and storage, among others ".What are biofuels?Biofuels have net CO2 emissions much lower than fossil fuels, because the raw materials used in their production capture CO2 from the air or avoid its emission by reusing raw materials.According to the origin and the way of obtaining, we find two types of biofuels.
The so-called first generation are those produced with conventional technology and come mostly from raw materials of vegetable origin such as soy or corn.
Second generation biofuels, called advanced biofuels, are produced from non-food crops or parts of food crops that are inedible or considered waste such as stalks or husks.
This group also includes those produced from recycled oils, especially from cooking.Precisely, the uniqueness of the project at the Cartagena refinery has to do with the circular economy and the reuse of recycled raw materials to give them a new life and turn them into new products with high added value, in this case biofuels, whose use reduces emissions net of CO2.Repsol and biofuelsRepsol has been adding biofuels to its automotive fuels for more than two decades.
In recent years, the content of biofuels has been increasing, and in 2020 this figure has reached 8.5% in energy, in line with the regulatory requirements in Spain that transfer the commitments agreed as a country with the EU.Community institutions have already set a roadmap through a new directive that proposes a minimum of 14% in renewable energy in transport in the year 2030.
In addition, Spanish legislation establishes in the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan ( PNIEC) a more demanding objective, of 28% renewable energy in transport by 2030.
With this project, Repsol anticipates the regulatory framework and is making decisive progress in its goal of being a carbon neutral company by 2050.The International Energy Agency considers that biofuels will be a key lever in the gradual decarbonization of transport, mainly from 2030 in sectors where electrification presents difficulties, such as aviation and maritime transport.Likewise, a boost in biofuels will help diversify Spain's energy matrix and allow progress in the country's energy independence, in addition to generating economic activity and stable, quality employment.Zero net emissions targetOn December 2, Repsol announced that it was guiding its strategy to be a company with zero net emissions in 2050, in accordance with the Paris Agreement, thus becoming the first in its sector to undertake this ambitious goal.Repsol will reduce its Carbon Intensity Indicator this year by 3% compared to the base of 2016 and will significantly increase the renewable generation capacity to reach zero net emissions in 2050.El objetivo es avanzar en la transición energética y reducir las emisiones de las operaciones y productos de Repsol, en línea con el compromiso de la compañía en la lucha contra el cambio climático de acuerdo a la ambición establecida en el Acuerdo de París.
Source: Agencias
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