Petronor, part of the Repsol group, expects its e-fuels plant being built in the Port of Bilbao to be fully operational by early 2027.
Elixabete Etxanobe, Head of the Bizkaia Provincial Council, has visited the plant site, accompanied by other local authorities, including Ivan Jimenez, President of the Port Authority. Their visit coincided with the arrival of the 1,200-ton mechanical structure on which all the equipment is to be mounted, a complex operation involving more than 190 people.
This structure will be used to produce e-fuels using captured CO2 and renewable hydrogen produced by the 10 MW electrolyzer at the plant. The investment required to commission the e-fuels plant, which will be capable of producing 2,000 tons of fuel per year, amounts to USD$172 million (146 million euros), equipping it with new and experimental technology. The plant will be one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world.
Using captured CO2 and renewable hydrogen, the plant will produce synthetic fuels such as diesel, SAF and naphtha, the main component of petrol. These products have similar characteristics to conventional fuels and can be used in any current vehicle, such as cars, lorries, ships or airplanes.
Petronor, jointly owned by Repsol and Kutxabank, is Bizkaia's main industrial driver. The company directly employs 940 people and indirectly provides employment for more than 6,000. Over the last five years, it has invested more than USD$1.41 billion (1.2 billion euros) and hired 201 people.