[Economy] bp Castellón weaves an 'energy clean hub' to move towards decarbonisation

[[M]anuel]

he British multinational wants to promote the Castellón plant to be a benchmark for Europe in the aeronautical fuel of the future and renewable hydrogen

The institutional authorities headed by Ximo Puig, together with Carlos Barrasa and Francisco Quintana, president and director of bp.

bp, within the framework of transformation towards an integrated energy company, will progressively convert the Castellón refinery into a clean energy hub, which will contribute not only to reducing the emissions associated with the company's operations, but also to positioning the Comunitat Valenciana as a strategic enclave for the decarbonization of Spain.

The initiative, in which the Castellón bp refinery will play an essential role, revolves around promoting the production of renewable hydrogen and sustainable liquid fuels, especially for the aviation sector.

These projects will be key to achieving the decarbonisation of the industrial sector and promoting sustainability in the Valencian Community, placing special emphasis on mobility, transport and tourism.

bp will bet on these sustainable energy production projects with the intention of becoming a benchmark for Europe, in line with its global ambition to achieve a 10% hydrogen market share in the main markets in which it operates and supply the 20 % of global demand for SAF in 2030.

The announcement, which took place this Tuesday during the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of BP's activity at the refinery, comes at an essential moment for both BP and the entire global energy sector, in full transformation towards a more sustainable model.

The commemorative act had an outstanding institutional presence -with the participation of Ximo Puig, president of the Generalitat Valenciana and Hugh Elliott, ambassador of the United Kingdom in Spain- and numerous business representatives of the region, who accompanied Carlos in the act Barrasa, president of bp in Spain, and Francisco Quintana, director of the refinery.

Operated by bp since 1991, the Castellón refinery is at the forefront in technological, environmental and safety matters. The plant, an essential economic engine in the Community, is aligned with BP's sustainability ambition and aims to become an efficient center of net zero emissions by 2050 or earlier, forming what will be the refinery of the future, as part of the clean energy hub , according to Francisco Quintana.

"With these growth and development plans in Castellón we aspire for the Valencian Community to stand out as a regional nucleus in which to carry out credible and realistic projects that carry out the production of sustainable energy", described, for its part, Barrasa, who took the opportunity to vindicate the importance of involvement by institutions in these types of objectives.

“The firm commitment that the company is showing must be two-way; that is, it needs the support of the administration because to advance in these projects we need stable regulatory frameworks that help the entire business fabric to undertake tangible projects that are more sustainable every day, "he says.

For his part, the British ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliot, celebrated "bp's plan to promote the generation of renewable hydrogen and biofuels, which will play an important role in the decarbonization of the industry, ensuring sustainable and quality job opportunities in Castellón . I congratulate bp for its commitment to the Valencian economy and its efforts to decarbonize the sector. "

LINK:   https://www.elmundo.es/comunidad-valenciana/castellon/2021/12/01/61a7c55921efa0b7448b45b7.html