Partnerships to decarbonize mobility

As it expands its electric charging network in Spain, the company is also converting its industrial complexes into multi-energy hubs with the capacity to manufacture hydrogen and renewable fuels to cover the needs of aviation, light and heavy road transportation, the railroads, and shipping. “We are focusing all technological development on our objective of becoming a net zero emissions company by 2050. But climate neutrality is a challenge of such magnitude that we need the cooperation of all players in the sector to tackle it,” said Rey.

Alternatives for maritime transportation

Repsol and Navantia, a pioneering company in the production of ship propulsion systems, are collaborating on the search for alternatives to decarbonize the maritime sector. Firstly, they are working to use advanced biofuels, a type of renewable fuel “that keeps the benefits of existing propulsion systems but with a reduction of between 80% and 100% in net CO₂ emissions”, explained Iñaki Del Pino, director of the Navantia engine factory in Cartagena.

Advanced biofuels for heavy transportation (SAF)

Alsa, the leader in road passenger transportation in Spain shares the target of reaching carbon neutrality, and it is also a partner of the energy group. In 2021, the two companies were the pioneers in this country when they tested the use of a type of advanced biofuel called HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil), in twelve buses belonging to Bilbobus, the Bilbao city bus service, operated by Alsa. They drove around for four months using HVO supplied by the scientists at the Repsol Technology Lab, in a pilot test that led to the reduction of 300 tonnes in CO₂ and demonstrated the potential of advanced biofuels for decarbonizing heavy vehicles.

In June 2022, Iberia made its first three long-haul flights -from Madrid to Washington, San Francisco, and Dallas (USA) - using advanced biofuels produced from organic waste at the Petronor refinery. In addition, in 2024, the two companies will begin testing operations with synthetic fuel manufactured at the plant that Repsol will open in Bilbao. With a capacity to produce 2,100 tonnes per year, it will be one of the largest of this type in the world.

“Synthetic fuels or e-fuels are produced using CO2 that we can capture from the atmosphere and hydrogen produced with electricity from renewable sources, so they have zero net emissions. There are no limits to the availability of the raw materials, so it will be an ideal complement to advanced biofuels,” said Rey

Advanced biofuels for heavy transportation

Alsa, the leader in road passenger transportation in Spain shares the target of reaching carbon neutrality, and it is also a partner of the energy group. In 2021, the two companies were the pioneers in this country when they tested the use of a type of advanced biofuel called HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil), in twelve buses belonging to Bilbobus, the Bilbao city bus service, operated by Alsa. They drove around for four months using HVO supplied by the scientists at the Repsol Technology Lab, in a pilot test that led to the reduction of 300 tonnes in CO₂ and demonstrated the potential of advanced biofuels for decarbonizing heavy vehicles.

For freight transportation, Repsol is engaged in a project to promote th.e use of renewable fuels with Grupo Sesé. This logistics operator has a fleet of more than 3,000 vehicles operating in 20 countries. Ten trucks belonging to this company will operate until May 2023 using HVO in a test that, according to prior studies, is expected to lead to a reduction of 90% in net CO₂ emissions

To Héctor Cebrián, Grupo Sesé’s Director of Public Affairs and Decarbonization Projects, “renewable fuels are the most realistic and efficient investment for making progress now on decarbonizing trucking. They have a similar performance to current fuels and the relationship between their cost and a tonne less of CO₂ is very competitive". This view is shared by Miguel Ángel Alonso, general manager of the Alsa Maintenance & Procurement Division, for whom their role "can and must be essential. We will gradually add both electric battery-powered vehicles and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, but we need complementary solutions for our current fleet, such as renewable fuels.”

The European Commission’s Smart and Sustainable Mobility Strategy has outlined the objective of reducing 90% of the CO₂ emitted by transportation by 2050, backing, among other measures, the use of renewable fuels. These fuels are an essential part of Repsol’s strategy, and it will increase its production to two million tonnes by 2030.

Trains with renewable hydrogen

For the railroads, the multi-energy company has allied itself with Talgo in promoting the use of renewable hydrogen, “which offers an emissions-free alternative for non-electrified routes on which diesel trains now run, because the exhaust gases from hydrogen traction are only water vapor,” explained Emilio García, director of Innovation at Talgo.

The manufacturer has already started testing the prototype for its Vittal One train, which will be the first one developed by a Spanish manufacturer that is propelled by 100% renewable hydrogen. Repsol, which has the goal of leading the production of this sustainable energy vector by 2030 with 1.9 GW equivalent capacity, is supplying the hydrogen for the project.