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Ryanair jumps on the biofuel bandwagon with a new manufacturing plant in Cartagena
Repsol will develop the eco-friendly jet fuel at a new plant being built in Escombreras
Ryanair has become the latest airline to redouble its efforts to becoming more environmentally friendly, this week announcing that Repsol will begin manufacturing biofuel for all its Spanish planes at a plant in Cartagena.
The Escombreras factory, which is currently under construction, will process used cooking oil and other waste from the food industry, transforming it into a sustainable fuel that will power Ryanair jets between 2025 and 2030.
From 2024, when the facilities are finished, the Cartagena plant will repurpose 300,000 tonnes of waste per year into 250,000 tonnes of advanced biofuels for the transport sector.
The new product can be used in other forms of transport but it’s ideal for aircraft, since the other sustainable fuels being developed aren’t suitable.
Announcing the deal on Thursday May 4, Repsol committed to providing 155,000 tonnes of biofuel to Ryanair over a five-year period, which would power the equivalent of 28,000 flights between Dublin and Madrid.
Repsol plans to develop more production factories across Spain in the near future but for now, the Cartagena plant is the first of its kind in the country. Hot on Repsol’s heels though is fuel giant Cepsa, which has agreed to supply recycled fuel for Wizz Air’s Spanish fleet in two years.
Repsol sources have explained that “these renewable fuels are a sustainable solution for all mobility segments, especially for those that currently have no other alternative to decarbonise their activity, such as maritime transport, long-distance road transport or aviation”.
A spokesperson added that the introduction of biofuel as an alternative to kerosene will make it possible for “travel to have zero net emissions compared to the traditional fuels they replace, taking advantage of current infrastructure and avoiding the development of new technology and fleet renewal”.
Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson said that the airline’s aim is to use 12.5% sustainable aviation fuel by 2030.
A happy side effect is a major boost to Cartagena’s economy, since the construction of the plant has required more than 140 local contractor companies and around 800 employees in total.
Image: Repsol
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