Repsol’s Board of Directors has approved an investment of over €800 million ($834 million) in Ecoplant, a pioneering facility in Tarragona that will convert urban waste into renewable fuels and circular products. The project aims to reduce CO₂ emissions in the transport sector while promoting the circular economy.
Ecoplant will be the first facility in Europe to produce renewable and circular methanol through gasification, a state-of-the-art waste valorisation process. The technology, developed by Enerkem, a Canadian company in which Repsol holds a stake, will repurpose waste that would otherwise be sent to landfill or incinerated.
Once operational in 2029, the plant will process up to 400,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste per year, converting it into 240,000 tonnes of renewable fuels and circular products. Organic waste will be used to produce renewable methanol, while non-organic waste, including non-recyclable plastics, will be transformed into circular products.
The project is expected to create 340 permanent jobs and support around 2,800 jobs during the construction phase. It will be integrated into Repsol’s Tarragona industrial complex, utilising existing infrastructure to establish a multi-energy hub focused on renewable fuels and sustainable materials.
The European Union has recognised the Ecoplant’s environmental potential, selecting it from over 300 proposals to receive funding under the Innovation Fund programme. According to the European Commission, the facility is expected to reduce 3.4 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions during its first ten years of operation.
The European Union has committed to reducing carbon intensity in maritime transport by 40% by 2030 and 75% by 2050. Renewable fuels such as renewable diesel —already produced at Repsol’s Cartagena plant—and renewable methanol, to be manufactured at Ecoplant, are considered among the most effective solutions to achieve these goals.
