Mobility using renewable fuels is now a reality. Wastes such as used cooking oil or agricultural and livestock waste produce biofuels that can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90% compared to traditional fuels.

Diesel from trucks, kerosene from airplanes or diesel from ships can now be replaced with so-called biofuels, opening up huge opportunities when it comes to decarbonizing sectors that have been difficult to electrify due to their heavy dependence on fossil fuels.

But are all biofuels made from waste? No, first generation (1G) biofuels are derived from crops such as sugar cane, beets or molasses, grains such as wheat, barley or corn, or oils such as canola or soybeans. Only the second generation (2G) is produced from organic waste such as used cooking oil, agricultural or livestock waste, forest biomass, etc.

First or second, the key point is that these fuels have a chemical nature similar to traditional fuels and can be used in modern engines of any vehicle.

Sustainable mobility by land, sea and air

When we talk about transport, we should focus not only on land mobility, but also on sectors such as air or sea. Emissions reduction goals for both companies and governments include decarbonizing each and every sector, but with a particular focus on mobility, as transport-related emissions currently account for about 25% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Union European (EUROPEAN UNION).

It was to resolve this issue that European Commission proposed a package of measures called “Fit for 55” that would reduce pollutant emissions in the coming decades and achieve climate neutrality in 2050. This plan includes an initiative REFuelEU Aviationwhich aims to contribute to the decarbonization of aviation in the EU through the use of clean aviation fuel (SAF), reaching a usage rate of 2% in 2025, 5% in 2030 and 70% in 2050.

In this area, many companies are working to meet regulatory requirements. This is the case with Cepsa, which, in addition to signing SAF research and production alliances with airlines such as Iberia, TUI, Vueling or Air Europe, He has already carried out various tests. Among them is an innovative action at the airport Seville, from which more than 200 aircraft took off last year with 4.5% SAF in tanks. Likewise, it most recently became the first energy company to sell SAF at Spain’s five main airports: Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Palma de Mallorca, Malaga and Seville.

Maritime transport is also among the sectors in which Cepsa is working to promote decarbonization through biofuels, in line with the European mandate. In the initiative FuelEU MaritimeThe EU aims to reduce the greenhouse gas emission intensity of maritime transport by 2% in 2025, 6% in 2030 and 80% in 2050 compared to 2020 levels through the use of renewable fuels and energy efficiency measures. The company, in addition to conducting Spain’s first pilot tests on a ship, supplied enough biofuel to power 84 ferry trips from the Naviera Armas Trasmediterránea in the Strait of Gibraltar this summer. The ships left the port of Algeciras with up to 15% renewable diesel in their tanks, exceeding European targets.

Cepsa’s obligations

As part of its Positive Motion strategy until 2030, Cepsa aims to become the leader in biofuel production in Spain and Portugal during this decade. The company plans to have a production capacity of 2.5 million tons of biofuels per year, of which 800,000 will be SAF, which would be enough to circle the planet 2,000 times.