Ecoplanta: A project for municipal solid waste recovery

State-of-the-art technology for processing non-recyclable municipal solid waste

The plant will be managed jointly with Enerkem (a company Repsol has a stake in) being the technological partner and owner of the gasification technology used.

The technology used will allow municipal solid waste to be transformed into high value-added products, achieving 3.4 Mt CO₂eq of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions over the first ten years of operation, as well as giving a second life to the waste that would otherwise end up in the landfill.

Ecoplanta: The only Spanish project pre-selected for the European Innovation Fund 2021

This municipal solid waste recovery project has been pre-selected among more than 300 large-scale projects for its contribution to the fight against climate change. This selection demonstrates the European Union's support for promoters of highly innovative projects and its desire to help implement the technology. Specifically, the gasification technology was highlighted for its innovation, reduction in carbon emissions, and scalability.

Ecoplanta will strongly contribute to the improvement of material recovery rates in Spain and to the achievement of the EU's 2035 targets to reduce the volume of municipal urban waste currently going to landfills, thus becoming a lower-environmental-impact alternative to incineration.

According to Repsol's Executive Director of Chemicals, José Luis Bernal, "We are very pleased to join forces with relevant waste management and innovative technology partners, showing our commitment to circular economy and reinforcing our commitment to recycle 20% of our polyolefins production by 2030 and taking one more step toward net zero emissions by 2050."

Circular benefits

• We are reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills and incineration plants.
• We are offering a circular solution to non-recyclable municipal solid waste management in Tarragona and the surrounding areas.
• We are providing our customers more sustainable and innovative solutions by introducing new circular methanol to the market to produce circular materials and advanced biofuels.
• We are minimizing the consumption of virgin raw materials, thus strenghtening our commitment to the circular economy and advancing towards our ambition of becoming a net zero emissions company by 2050.