2023-10-16 17:26:37
Cepsa has begun the search and development of projects for the construction and operation of plants for the production of biomethane from agricultural and livestock waste to decarbonize its industrial activity. With this process, the energy company will replace the consumption of natural gas with that of this renewable gas. Looking ahead to 2030, the company plans to manage a project portfolio of 4 TWh per year, “an ambitious objective”, according to the firm, which is equivalent to enough energy for 650,000 homes.
With this process, it will be able to significantly reduce CO2 emissions from its energy parks and chemical plants, in addition to constituting a complementary vector for green hydrogen production and employment in sustainable mobility. The use of this renewable gas, instead of fossil gas, will mean the revaluation of 10 million tons of waste per year and will avoid the emission of 728,000 tons of CO2 per year, the equivalent of planting 8.7 million trees.
Cepsa has signed an alliance with Kira Ventures, a leading Spanish company in the promotion and management of renewable energy assets, for the launch of up to 15 biomethane plants in Spain this decade. Both companies are already working on the development of the first five, which will be located in Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla y León, and are expected to be operational between 2025 and 2026.
These plants will use agricultural and livestock waste from the areas in which they are installed, such as manure and slurry, among others; and they will be 100% sustainable, since they will use electricity from renewable sources for their operation and will take advantage of the heat generated by the biogas itself.
Javier Antúnez, director of Biofuels at Cepsa, has indicated that “we continue to focus on second-generation biofuels through the development of biomethane plants. This is one more step in Cepsa’s strategy to decarbonize its operations and continue promoting the energy transition. Through the production of biomethane we will be able to replace natural gas in industrial processes and thus advance our goal of reducing the emissions of our activity by 55%, in addition to contributing to the production of green hydrogen and offering a new sustainable mobility alternative.
For his part, Alberto Rodríguez Gallego, partner at Kira Ventures, highlighted that “with this agreement, we consolidate our commitment to the development of new renewable energy vectors, contributing to the decarbonization of the industry. At Kira we believe that biomethane will play a key role in the transition to a carbon-neutral economy, improving the energy independence of our country and providing a more efficient alternative for the management of livestock and agri-food waste. Spain is prepared to take advantage of its potential in the expansion of this technology and Kira Ventures aspires to play a relevant role in that transition.
This milestone is part of Cepsa’s 2030 strategic plan, ‘Positive Motion’, through which the company promotes the decarbonization of its activity and that of its clients, especially through the production of green molecules (biofuels and green hydrogen). The company has an ambitious roadmap established to cut its CO2 emissions by 55% in 2030 (scope 1 and 2) compared to 2019 and aspires to be carbon neutral before 2050, for which the use of biomethane in their industrial processes. As for the carbon intensity of its energy sold, it will be reduced by between 15 and 20% in 2030.
Biomethane has the same characteristics as natural gas, but allows CO2 emissions to be reduced by up to 100%. This similarity means that it can also be stored or injected directly into the current gas transportation network, without the need to develop new infrastructure. In addition to being used as a substitute for natural gas for industrial use, this renewable gas can also be used for the production of green hydrogen and as an alternative for sustainable mobility.
This second generation (2G) biofuel is obtained from biogas, which in turn is produced through a natural decomposition process (anaerobic digestion) of biodegradable organic agricultural, livestock and industrial waste. Subsequently, after purification through a technological process called upgrading, it becomes biomethane.
Biomethane plants are a sustainable alternative to waste treatment, since they allow them to be revalued for the production of renewable energy and for the production of by-products such as sustainable manures or fertilizers that could be used on farmland in the area. Furthermore, biomethane production plants contribute to the sustainable economic development of the rural world and emptied Spain, promoting two key sectors for the Spanish economy, such as agriculture and livestock.
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