Project Overview

The La Rábida Energy Park is an existing biofuels plant in Spain that is being expanded by Cepsa. It is building a biofuels plant and a green hydrogen plant in the existing La Rábida Energy Park. This project is a key component of Cepsa's 2030 Positive Motion decarbonization strategy, which outlines a corporate goal of producing 2.5 million tpy (tonnes per year) of biofuel production in Spain and Portugal by 2030. The area occupied by Energy Park is 108,000 square meters.

Refineria La Rábida power station in Palos de la Frontera, Huelva, Spain, is one of the largest refiners that produces sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) from used cooking oils. Cepsa started the construction of the largest second-generation biofuel plant in the existing La Rábida Energy Park with an investment of EUR 1.2 billion. This project will include an SAF production unit along with a green hydrogen production plant that will produce 47,000 tons of green hydrogen annually. The project will play a pivotal role in the sustainable aviation fuel market.

Refinery La Rábida Energy Park

Worley Ltd. has been awarded a contract by Cepsa Bioenergia San Roque SLU (CBSR), a joint venture between Compañía Española de Petróleos SAU (Cepsa) and Singapore-based RGE Pte. Ltd.'s AAA Oils & Fats Pte. Ltd. (Apical Group). 

Project Location

Refinery La Rábida Energy Park Location

The La Rábida Energy Park is located near the city of Huelva. It is located in the Palos de la Frontera. This is further expanded with the construction of a biofuels plant and a green hydrogen plant.

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Project Value

The expansion of La Rábida Energy Park in Huelva is proposed at a value of EUR 1.2 billion. This renewable fuels plant project is also supported by InvestEU, an EU program that will mobilize more than EUR 372 billion of additional investment in the period 2021-27.

Project Contractors

Worley is expanding the La Rábida Energy Park under an EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) contract. The EPC contract will include feedstock pretreatment installations, outside battery limit (OSBL) fuel pretreatment units, and a wastewater treatment plant.

The contract will also benefit expanded operations of Bio-Oil Energy's current 500,000-tpy of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel, or hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO), from a feedstock of used cooking oils (UCO) and agricultural waste. 

The first phase of the Cepsa expansion project will include the construction of the green hydrogen plant with a 400 MW capacity. 

ThyssenKrupp nucera, one of the largest electrolyzer manufacturers, was awarded the contract to supply a 300 MW electrolyzer for the green hydrogen plant built under the expansion project of La Rábida Energy Park. Under this contract, 15 of ThyssenKrupp nucera’s standardized scalum® electrolyzer units with a capacity of 20 MW each will used in the green hydrogen plant construction at the La Rábida Energy Park.

Siemens Energy’s PEM electrolysis technology supplies the remaining 25% of the electrolyzer capacity (100 MW). 

The construction of a green hydrogen plant at the existing La Rábida Energy Park is a part of Cepsa's broader plans to build 2 gigawatts of green hydrogen capacity in southern Spain by 2030. This green hydrogen plant at  La Rábida Energy Park will produce up to 47,000 tons of green hydrogen annually.

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Project Timeline

Benefits of the Project

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from La Rábida Energy Park will be at their lowest points in recorded history. It has also placed an electrostatic separator in the FCC unit to comply with the new air pollution regulations.

The new facility will be able to process up to 600,000 tpy of mixed organic waste and obtain most of its feedstock supply from Apical's agricultural waste and residue operations through a long-term arrangement.

Read: Top 5 Upcoming Green Hydrogen Plants in Spain

Conclusion

La Rábida Energy Park is located in Palos de la Frontera (Huelva). As part of the Cepsa-led Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley environment program, biogas treatment at the proposed plant will also allow the capture of biogenic CO2 for the generation of green methanol, which will decarbonize maritime transportation, based on the operator. Thus, La Rábida Energy Park is one of the essential projects as a part of the transition strategy.

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