Repsol begins large-scale renewable diesel production in Puertollano, Spain
- Repsol
- May 27
- 3 min read
Repsol is strengthening its leadership as the leading producer and marketer of renewable fuels with the launch of its second 100 percent renewable fuel plant on the Iberian Peninsula, located at its Puertollano Industrial Complex in Ciudad Real, Spain.
The facility has the capacity to produce 200,000 tons per year of renewable diesel, in addition to the 250,000 tons of renewable fuels produced annually at the Cartagena plant.
With this new facility, the company is advancing the transformation of its industrial centers toward production based on the circular economy, capable of generating essential products for society with a lower carbon footprint.
To develop this project in Puertollano, Repsol has invested 130-million euros (USD$151.3 million) in transforming, for the first time on the Iberian Peninsula, a refinery unit that processed fossil-based raw materials into a facility capable of processing used cooking oil and other waste from the agrifood industry.
The 200,000 tons of organic-based fuels produced annually at this plant—renewable diesel in this case— can be used immediately in cars, trucks and ships, leveraging existing refueling infrastructure.
Its use can prevent the emission of approximately 700,000 tons of CO2 per year, considering the product’s entire lifecycle, compared to the conventional fuels they replace.
“The start of production at this plant marks another step forward in Repsol’s commitment to liquid fuels from renewable sources, as well as in the transformation of our complex, with the aim of positioning it as a leading industrial hub in the circular economy and renewable fuels,” said Antonio Lorenzo, the director of Repsol’s Industrial Complex in Puertollano. “This project is one of the most ambitious undertaken in recent years at the Puertollano Industrial Complex and demonstrates Repsol’s commitment to industry, the creation of quality jobs and solutions that help strengthen Spain’s energy independence.”
The investment has had a significant direct impact on the local industrial base and employment.
During the construction and commissioning phases, more than 650,000 work hours were logged, involving around 80 subcontractors—most of them from the region—and an average daily workforce of more than 110 people, with peaks of over 250 workers.
The integration of the new unit into the complex’s production system has been one of the project’s key achievements.
To this end, large-scale equipment—including reactors designed specifically for this type of production—has been installed while auxiliary services and existing logistics infrastructure have been adapted.
In addition, the new unit will use renewable hydrogen to further reduce the CO2 footprint of the diesel produced by up to 98 percent compared to mineral-based fuel.
The renewable hydrogen will be produced at the industrial complex by replacing natural gas—from which conventional hydrogen is obtained—with a biogas produced from waste.
To achieve this integration, Repsol has invested an additional 16-million euros (USD$18.6 million).
Renewable fuels are one of the pillars of Repsol’s multienergy strategy to decarbonize transport.
They can be used directly in current engines, without the need for modifications to vehicles or distribution and refueling infrastructure.
Repsol already sells its 100 percent renewable Nexa Diesel—Repsol’s highest-quality diesel fuel compatible with all diesel engines—at more than 1,600 service stations in Spain and Portugal and continues to expand this network to facilitate access to mobility solutions with a lower carbon footprint.
In addition, the company produces sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from organic waste at the Puertollano Industrial Complex.
This fuel is distributed to major airlines and contributes to the decarbonization of the key air transport sector.
Over the past five years, Repsol has invested nearly 800-million euros (USD$931 million) in Puertollano in transformation and future-oriented projects that enhance the industrial complex’s competitiveness and open up new markets.
Among the projects implemented at this site is the installation of a plant—the only one of its kind on the Iberian Peninsula—to produce ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, a so-called “superpolymer” due to its high-strength properties, comparable to those of steel and used in the manufacture of medical prostheses and defense textiles.
This new plant is expected to begin operations in the coming weeks.
In addition to these projects, other industrial developments are already enabling the manufacture of high value-added products and strengthening the complex’s competitiveness, such as the Reciclex range of recycled plastic materials and the production of recycled polyol from mattress foam, using technology that is unique in Spain.
