Spanish multi-energy company Repsol has started large-scale production of renewable fuels in Cartagena.
The €250M (US$272M) plant on the Iberian Peninsula would produce 250,000 tonnes/year of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from 300,000 tonnes of waste, including used cooking oil (UCO), the company said on 3 April.
Repsol has set itself a target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050 and total renewable fuel production capacity - including renewable hydrogen and biomethane - of between 1.5M-1.7M tonnes in 2027 and up to 2.7M tonnes in 2030.
“With this first plant on the Iberian Peninsula, we are taking another step forward in our transformation towards decarbonisation,” Repsol’s executive managing director of Industrial Transformation and Circular Economy Juan Abascal said.
The new plant in Cartagena would be followed by a second facility in Puertollano in 2025, where an investment of €120M (US$130M) would convert a unit to produce 240,000 tonnes of renewable fuel, Repsol said.
Repsol said it also had plans to build a similar facility in a third industrial centre in Spain before 2030.
To meet the growing demand of feedstocks with lower carbon intensity to produce renewable fuels, Repsol said it had signed a strategic agreement with global agribusiness giant Bunge.
As part of the agreement, Repsol would acquire 40% of three industrial facilities that were part of Bunge Iberica – one of Bunge’s subsidiaries in the Iberian Peninsula – for a total of US$300M and up to US$40M in contingent payments, the companies said on 26 March.
Under the agreement, which was subject to closing conditions and regulatory approvals, Bunge said it would continue to operate its three plants dedicated to the production of oils and biofuels in Bilbao, Barcelona, and Cartagena, which are all close to Repsol’s industrial complexes located in the same regions.
Bunge would also continue to be a key producer of protein meals and vegetable oils and a distributor of agricultural commodities in Spain.
In addition, Repsol said it would be increasing the roll-out of renewable fuels at its service station network – the biggest in Spain – by adding 100% renewable fuel pumps.
Repsol is certified under the ISCC-EU Voluntary Sustainability Scheme and the Spanish National Sustainability Verification System, ensuring traceability and the production of sustainable biofuels in accordance with Renewable Energy Directive (RED) standards.
