Repsol YPF and Acciona Energía to Invest $365 Million in Biodiesel Plants in Spain
16 March 2006
Repsol YPF SA and Acciona Energía have reached an agreement to invest more than €300 million (US$365 million) in the construction of up to six biodiesel plants in Spain, with a combined potential production capacity of more than 1 million metric tons per year (302 million gallons per year, or about 20,000 barrels per day). The companies expect the plants to come onstream during the first half of 2007 through the second half 2009.
The companies anticipate that the plants will encourage additional vegetable oil production in Spain, with between 200,000 and 300,000 hectares (772 to 1,158 square miles) of irrigated land eventually dedicated to growing biodiesel feedstocks.
Use of the combined plant output will prevent the addition of about 3 million tons of CO2 in 2010 that otherwise would be emitted through the combustion of petroleum diesel.
Repsol—one of the ten major private oil companies in the world and the largest private energy company in Latin America—and Acciona Energí—a leader in the renewables sector—have been working together since 2000 on biodiesel development as well as on the production of ethanol blends of gasoline.
In 2005, Acciona Energía put a 35-tonnes per year pilot biodiesel plant into service in Caparroso (Navarre)—a plant distinguished by its abilitiy to use different types of oils.
The company also recently brought the largest photovoltaic project in Spain online, and put €220 million into the construction of a solar thermal electric power plant in Nevada (USA), the largest such plant installed in the world in the last fifteen years.
Since 'desertification' has already taken a heavy toll in most of the southern half of Spain and is progressing rapidly, one could ask where would the feedstock and water come from. However, all of southern Spain would be an ideal place for photovoltaic solar energy plants. Can you slow desertification by capturing sun energy and sending it, as electricity, to the industrial mid and northern part of the country?
Posted by: Harvey D | 16 March 2006 at 10:18 AM
Use the solar electricity to desalinate sea water for irrigating crops in the desert. Transpiration from the crops will add humidity and slow the drying of the surrounding land. Very very capital intensive.
Posted by: tom deplume | 16 March 2006 at 12:24 PM
Desertification isn't a problem. Drought resistant and arid oil producing crops like Jatropha that can grow anywhere.
Posted by: al | 16 March 2006 at 03:24 PM
EU member states have agreed on a target of 5.75% biofuels for on-road vehicles by 2007. Austria is already there today, by blending mineral and biodiesel. Two-thirds of new passenger cars here are diesels.
By 2020, the biofuel market share target is 20%. Blending means you can avoid setting up up a new distribution infrastructure. Carmakers are anticipating the more aggresive future blends by installing more resilient fuel system components in new vehicles today.
The political motivation for biofuels is partly energy security but mostly the opportunity to hand out yet more agricultural subsidies. Tropical countries could generate 10x the annual yield per hectare that Central Europe can, simply because they get more sunlight. But then, farmers in Africa cannot vote in Europe.
Btw, Spain also has solar power projects:
http://www.solarpaces.org/SOLARTRES.HTM
Posted by: Rafael Seidl | 16 March 2006 at 04:19 PM
al:... According to Keith Parson/Eco World, some 300 mm of rain a year is required to grow jatropa versus 800 mm a year for prime agriculture land. See this site:
http:/www.ecoworld.com/Home/articles2.cfm?TiD=367
However, it seems that growing jatropha, on the fringe of very dry lands, may slow desertification, time will tell if this assumption prevails.
Posted by: Harvey D | 16 March 2006 at 06:34 PM
see link for new ethanol feedstock from algae...
it uses CO2 to grow...
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2006-01-10-algae-powerplants_x.htm
http://www.veridium.com/news.php?id=29
Posted by: Tom Catino | 26 April 2006 at 01:41 AM
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Posted by: Biodiex | 14 September 2007 at 07:33 AM