Repsol produces renewable diesel at its A Coruña refinery in northwest Spain

Photo: Repsol

In late October Madrid-based energy company Repsol announced it had manufactured the first batch of renewable diesel at its A Coruña industrial complex in northwest Spain from 500 tons of used cooking oil collected throughout the country and “mixed in the production process with vegetable oil and other components and processed in a desulfurization unit.”

The company says it is transforming the site into what it calls a “multi-energy hub” capable of producing products with a low carbon footprint, such as biofuels made from waste. Repsol further stated that the recently manufactured renewable diesel adds to the A Coruña complex’s “already consolidated production of other fuels with a low carbon footprint. Bioethanol is used in the biogasoline process and vegetable oil is used as raw material in the manufacture of [renewable diesel]. Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) is also incorporated in our products.”

As part of the A Coruña transformation, Repsol is considering production of renewable hydrogen from biogas as well as “modifications in units and implementation of new technologies to reduce CO2 emissions.”

The company has also increased its forecasted investments into low-carbon initiatives by 1 billion euros (USD$1.16 billion) to 19.3 billion euros (USD$22.33 billion) in the 2021-’25 timeframe in order to fulfill its strategic plan of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.