Repsol has taken a new step in its mission to decarbonize transport with the start of large-scale production of renewable fuels at its Cartagena facility.
This plant, the first in the Iberian Peninsula dedicated exclusively to the production of 100% renewable fuels and in which 250 million euros have been invested, has a production capacity of 250,000 tons/year.
These facilities will produce renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) which will prevent the emission of 900,000 tons ofCO2 per year, as they represent a 90% reduction in net carbon dioxide emissions compared to the mineral fuel they replace, due to the lower carbon intensity of the renewable fuel.
Renewable fuel, produced from organic waste such as used cooking oil or agri-food waste, giving a second life to these materials, is a quick and sustainable solution for the decarbonization of all transport sectors, as it can be used in cars, trucks, buses, ships or planes, using existing refuelling infrastructures. This type of fuel has arrived at Repsol service stations on the Iberian Peninsula, and is available at more than 140 locations. The aim is to reach 600 by the end of this year and 1,900 by 2027.
For Repsol’s General Director of Industrial Transformation and Circular Economy, Juan Abascal, “With this first plant on the Iberian Peninsula, we are taking another step in our transformation towards decarbonization, with a cutting-edge technological project.”
The Cartagena plant will process 300,000 tons of organic waste a year, giving priority to waste of national and European origin. To ensure the growing demand for less carbon-intensive raw materials for the production of renewable fuels, Repsol has signed a strategic agreement with Bunge through which it is acquiring 40% of three industrial facilities dedicated to the production of oils and biofuels in Bilbao, Barcelona and Cartagena, close to the company’s industrial complexes. To guarantee the traceability and production of sustainable biofuels in accordance with the standards of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), Repsol has obtained certifications from the ISCC-EU Voluntary Sustainability Scheme and the Spanish National Sustainability Verification System.
Repsol currently has strategic partnerships with leading companies in the road, passenger and cruise transport sectors throughout the Iberian Peninsula. To promote the use of sustainable aviation fuel on commercial flights, the multi-energy company has worked with airlines such as Iberia, Ryanair, Vueling and Air Europa.
The new Cartagena plant, whose production of renewable fuels represents 5% of its total diesel production and 17% of its paraffin production, will be joined by a second plant in Puertollano in 2025. After an investment of 120 million euros, one of the industrial complex’s units will be converted to produce 240,000 tons of renewable fuels. Repsol also plans to replicate this model in a third industrial center in Spain by 2030.
Juan Abascal highlighted Repsol’s commitment to transforming its six industrial complexes on the Iberian Peninsula into decarbonized multi-energy centers, capable of processing all types of raw materials to produce materials with a reduced carbon footprint. These centers will promote new business models based on digitalization and technology. This entire industrial transformation will be based on four pillars: energy efficiency, circular economy, renewable hydrogen andCO2 capture, use and storage. “Our roadmap demonstrates Repsol’s commitment to industry and to generating jobs and wealth. In this way, we contribute to development and territorial cohesion in disadvantaged areas and in offering solutions that increase Spain’s energy independence,” added the company’s General Director of Industrial Transformation and Circular Economy.
Repsol aims to achieve a total production capacity of renewable fuels, including renewable hydrogen and biomethane, of between 1.5 and 1.7 million tons by 2027 and up to 2.7 million tons by 2030, and to lead the market for this type of fuel in the Iberian Peninsula. With this project and the initiatives already underway, the company is at the forefront of the sector in terms of renewable fuel production capacity.
The company has one of the most efficient refining systems in Europe, thanks to investment of around one billion euros a year on average over the last decade, during which the European Union has lost 24 refineries, around 10% of its production capacity for fuels used mainly in road transport. Repsol refineries employ around 28,000 people, including direct, indirect and induced employment.
In addition to renewable fuels, the company is also focused on synthetic fuels (or e-fuels), produced from renewable hydrogen andCO2 captured from the atmosphere, with an industrial demonstration project near Petronor.
In its Strategic Plan 2024-2027, Repsol foresees investments of up to 6.8 billion euros in the company’s industrial businesses, 44% of which will be dedicated exclusively to low-carbon projects, subject to the evolution of the regulatory and fiscal framework, including initiatives in renewable fuels, biomethane, renewable hydrogen and waste gasification, among others.