Cepsa Advances Circularity and Decarbonization

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Cepsa Advances Circular Economy Commitments Across Spain

Cepsa has announced a bold plan to boost the circularity of its operations by 50 percent by 2030. The initiative aims to minimize waste, increase recycling, and recover around 8,000 tons of materials in major industrial centers in Andalusia. The company emphasizes a shift toward renewable and circular inputs to become a central player in new, sustainable production models across its activities.

Framed within the Positive Action strategy, Cepsa positions itself as a leader in sustainable mobility in Spain and Portugal while advancing the energy transition. This approach is presented as one of the most ambitious commitments in the energy sector, with a focus on developing waste co-processing projects and identifying synergies with other firms through cutting edge technologies that promote industrial symbiosis.

The waste-to-resource approach is expected to create tangible benefits by progressively replacing fossil inputs with knowledge-based, renewable, and recycled materials. This strategy aims to maximize the use of waste as a raw material, deploying sustainable solutions that keep waste from ending up as discarded material and instead reintegrating it into production cycles.

Mar Perrote, Cepsa’s HSEQ director, notes that advancing circular economy goals will move the company toward a zero-waste business model. The plan includes developing more sustainable solutions, reducing waste generation in daily operations, and promoting industrial symbiosis to give raw materials a second life before they would otherwise be discarded.

The transformation program launched in 2022 continues to support customers in their decarbonization efforts. A target set for this decade is a 15 to 20 percent reduction in the carbon intensity of Cepsa’s marketed products, aligning with a broader roadmap toward net zero emissions.

To reinforce this shift, Cepsa intends to maximize the use of its own waste and third-party waste as feedstock. A concrete example is the newly announced collaboration with Aguas y Servicios del Campo de Gibraltar Arcgisa, aimed at circular economy projects affecting urban waste. The partnership focuses on recovering organic wastes, used cooking oils, and other residues from facilities operated by Arcgisa, with the broader aim of fostering a circular economy at the municipal level.

Alongside waste recovery, the collaboration seeks to produce green hydrogen from sewer systems to prevent discharges into the sea. This project, developed at the San Roque Energy Park in Cadiz, is expected to yield a positive impact on water availability, underscoring Cepsa’s commitment to reducing freshwater withdrawals by 20 percent in water-stressed areas by 2025.

In addition, Cepsa plans to progressively replace fossil raw materials with renewable and recycled sources. The company targets increasing the share of renewable and circular materials in its Energy Parks to as much as 15 percent by 2030. This translates into roughly 2.8 million tonnes of raw materials used by 2030, with about 75 percent coming from second-generation feedstocks or other waste streams that would otherwise be discarded.

Looking ahead, Cepsa aims to lead the production of biofuels, including renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel S AF, produced from second-generation inputs such as organic waste, used cooking oils, and agricultural residues. The objective includes avoiding substantial CO2 emissions and supporting an aviation network that benefits from cleaner fuels, highlighted by a recent Seville airport operation with over 220 flights in the most recent period.

To drive change, Cepsa has established a circular economy working group that includes all divisions and business units. The group evaluates new technologies, pilots waste co-processing projects, and seeks synergies with other companies to promote industrial symbiosis in both operations and products.

Early 2023 brought formal recognition of Cepsa’s leadership through the Key Innovator seal, awarded by the European Commission’s Innovation Radar program in collaboration with AIJU and other partners. This endorsement reflects progress in adopting innovative practices that support a robust circular economy across the organization and its partners.

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