REGANOSA, REPSOL AND NATURGY COLLABORATE WITH IMPULSA GALICIA IN THE PROMOTION OF A PROJECT TO TRANSFORM IN SPAIN SURPLUS SLURRY AND OTHER WASTE INTO BIOMETHANE AND ORGANIC FERTILIZERS

09/28 2022

REGANOSA, REPSOL AND NATURGY COLLABORATE WITH IMPULSA GALICIA IN THE PROMOTION OF A PROJECT TO TRANSFORM IN SPAIN SURPLUS SLURRY AND OTHER WASTE INTO BIOMETHANE AND ORGANIC FERTILIZERS

 

In an initial phase, once the required administrative authorizations have been obtained, the energy companies would invest 146 million euros to generate 300 GWh of renewable energy annually with 1.2 million tons of livestock manure

The first production plant of this programme is planned in Meirama (Galicia), with five pre-treatment centres associated

The initiative would make it possible to reduce external energy dependence and develop the circular economy in the autonomous community. In its full deployment, it would avoid the emission of 500,000 tons of CO2 equivalent per year and up to 600 direct and 1,900 indirect jobs would be created

The companies thus contribute to decarbonising Galician transport, industry and agri-food activity

The project has been presented to four central government ministries with the aim of fitting it into Next Generation funds

 

Reganosa, Repsol and Naturgy collaborate with Impulsa Galicia to develop the circular economy with a project that would transform surplus livestock manure and other waste on a large scale into biomethane, organic fertilizers and CO2 neutral of biological origin. This initiative has been designed to optimise slurry management in the autonomous community, reduce energy dependence on the outside, facilitate compliance with new European standards and help decarbonise industry, households and mobility. The promoters are currently carrying out fieldwork and trials that give continuity to months of previous studies and research.

 

The project consists of progressively deploying throughout the territory a network of plants that value surpluses of bovine, porcine and poultry slurries mixed with a smaller amount of FORS (organic fraction of separate collection) and RIO (organic industrial waste) of the agri-food sector for the production of renewable energy. This is reflected in the memorandum of understanding that Reganosa, Repsol and Naturgy have recently signed with Impulsa, the mixed society promoted by the Xunta de Galicia with the aim of accompanying business initiatives that affect the dynamization, progress and transformation of the Galician economy through a green and digital model.

 

In an initial phase, the three energy companies plan to build a first anaerobic digestion plant that produces renewable gas and five pre-treatment plants associated with it to dehydrate the surplus bovine slurry. The renewable gas generation plant would be located in Meirama (Cerceda), a fair transition zone, while the five pretreatment plants would be divided, in a first phase, by municipalities in the same province of Coruña and Lugo, according to a distribution based on the Galician map of livestock farms, thus optimizing logistics between both types of facilities.

 

With an investment of approximately 146 million euros, in this first phase, 1,240,000 tons of surplus slurry would be treated annually and, in addition to organic fertilizers and CO2 neutral, about 300 gigawatts per hour (GWh) of biomethane would be produced and injected into the natural gas network. This renewable gas would be used to decarbonize different sectors, such as transport, residential and industrial, and could be used in the processes of the Repsol refinery in A Coruña.

 

Extension to all Galicia

Once this initial phase has been completed, the promoters intend to extend the circular economy project in the future to the whole of Galicia, implementing a centralised network for the treatment of surplus livestock manure. This system will ensure the availability to livestock farmers of the slurry necessary to sustainably fertilise their land, as well as the economic viability of their farms. The developers’ calculations show that around 6 million tonnes of waste could be recovered each year. Rounding off, the biomethane produced (1 TWh per year) would be equivalent to 7% of the natural gas imports that are now demanded in Galicia, with which the community would substantially advance in its energy autonomy and in the consumption of renewables. The project has been submitted to four ministries of the central Government (Economy, Ecological Transition, Agriculture and Industry) with the aim of fitting it into the Next Generation funds, both for its circularity component and for the fact that it provides a green and indigenous energy source from the surplus of livestock manure.

 

In this way, the global project would also avoid the emission into the atmosphere of about 500,000 tons of CO2 per year and create quality jobs in the context of the ecological transition and in sparsely populated areas. In short, just over 600 direct and 1,900 indirect jobs, considering both the operation of the plants and transport logistics.

 

The implementation of this initiative would contribute to compliance with the new European environmental legislation on the protection of agricultural soil and effluent control, as well as sustainable nutrition of agricultural soil, and would address recurrent issues in slurry management and storage.

 

Innovative for its concept of global integration in the face of dispersion, this project exemplifies at the same time the new model of public-private cooperation and between companies in the same sector, being open to the participation of other companies.

 

“The parties involved in this project have worked very intensively to provide a solvent technical solution; now we need to create the regulatory framework that allows us to develop and implement the advances,” said Reganosa CEO Emilio Bruquetas, who calls for policies that encourage “in a clear way” the production of biogas in Spain.

 

The director of Renewable Fuels of Repsol, Berta Cabello, for her part, has indicated that “with this project, strategic for Repsol, we promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from transport and industry, we increase the energy autonomy used renewable gases obtained with local resources and at the same time we promote the circular economy and the sustainability of such an important sector in our country as livestock”.

 

The general director of Renewables, New Businesses and Innovation of Naturgy, Jorge Barredo, stressed that “this biomethane production project will boost the energy transition in Galicia and promote sustainable waste management, taking a step forward towards the circular economy and local socio-economic development, in addition to contributing to reduce energy dependence from abroad”.

 

“This,” said Impulsa CEO Enyd López, “is a very relevant project for Galicia. In its conception and support, the Xunta has advanced twofold: on the one hand, favouring an agile decarbonisation of the economy, and on the other, making it easier for livestock farmers to comply with the regulations that will come from Europe. “And she added: “In addition to promoting the circular economy in isolation, this initiative will help generate an ecosystem of solid projects within the Pole for the Transformation of Galicia.”

 

About Reganosa

Reganosa is the first Galician energy multinational. In accordance with the principles of safety, efficiency and flexibility, it develops a key activity in the transformation of the energy model and in the mitigation of the effects of climate change. It operates basic assets for security of supply in Europe and Africa, is a world leader in the management of third party liquefied natural gas terminals (Ghana, Malta and Italy) and owns its own in Mugardos, where its pipeline network also starts. It is certified as a transmission system operator and in the last four years has tripled its workforce, as well as has provided services of various types in 21 countries on four continents. Currently, in addition to this circular economy, it develops projects of renewables, green hydrogen, energy storage and digitalization.

 

About Repsol

Repsol is a global multi-energy company, which is leading the energy transition and has set itself the goal of being net zero emissions by 2050. It is present throughout the energy value chain, employs 24,000 people, distributes its products in more than 90 countries and has 24 million customers. It can meet any energy and mobility need of consumers, with a customer-centric offering. It is at the forefront of the development of sustainable solutions for mobility, with increasingly efficient fuels, electric recharging, biofuels, AutoGas or vehicular natural gas. In addition, it is a relevant player in the electricity and gas market, with 1.43 million customers and an installed low-emission generation capacity of more than 3,800 MW. To achieve net zero emissions by 2050, Repsol is committed to a model that integrates all technologies for decarbonisation, based on improving efficiency, increasing its renewable electricity generation capacity, producing low-carbon fuels, developing new solutions for customers, the circular economy and promoting cutting-edge projects to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint.

 

About Naturgy

Naturgy is a multinational energy group, present in the electricity and gas business, operating in the generation, distribution and marketing of energy and services, with 9,300 employees worldwide. Present in more than 20 countries, with more than 15.3GW of installed capacity, Naturgy supplies gas and electricity to 16 million Naturgy customers, committed to the development of renewable gas on a commercial scale. In this sense, it has experience acquired in projects launched in recent years such as the one located in the Bens wastewater treatment plant, in A Coruña, co-financed by the Xunta through ERDF funds to produce biomethane from wastewater for mobility purposes; the Elena plant, in Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona), which was the first to inject renewable gas from landfill; and the Vila-sana plant (Lleida), an experimental facility financed with European funds and currently being adapted for commercial exploitation.

 

About Impulsa Galicia

Created in April 2021 by the Xunta de Galicia (40%), Abanca (38%), Reganosa (12%) and Sogama (10%), Impulsa Galicia is entrusted with the development of driving business initiatives that affect the dynamization, progress and transformation of the Galician economy through a green and digital model. It was born with the aim of encouraging the productive activity of the autonomous community from the attraction of investments, the incorporation of partners and the collaboration between public and private institutions for the subsequent implementation and consolidation of business proposals.