Repsol and Navantia collaborate to decarbonize maritime transport

Press Release 02/03/2022 11:00

Repsol and Navantia have signed an agreement to develop different innovative solutions to decarbonize maritime transport.
The companies will focus their collaboration on the evaluation of the performance of the new low carbon footprint liquid fuels to be supplied by Repsol in the propulsion and generation systems manufactured by Navantia.
With this agreement, both companies move forward in their energy transition commitment to achieve carbon neutrality.

02 March 2022 - 11:00 CET | PDF | 183.35 KB

Repsol and Navantia have signed a collaboration agreement to jointly develop innovative solutions to decarbonize maritime transport. In this way, both companies reinforce their commitment to accelerate the energy transition and achieve carbon neutrality, in line with the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets of Spain, the EU, the UN and the International Maritime Organization.

The two companies will jointly evaluate the performance of new low carbon footprint liquid fuels to be supplied by Repsol ̶ biofuels and synthetic fuels ̶ in engines manufactured by Navantia, both propulsion and generation. These new fuels represent a solid alternative for the short and medium-term decarbonization of the maritime sector, as they could achieve a 100% reduction in emissions. The project will focus on evaluating the technical and economic feasibility of this new technology.

In this agreement, Repsol will contribute its research infrastructures from its technology center, the Repsol Technology Lab. Key to the implementation of the project will be the pilot plants and blending laboratories, where Repsol will formulate the widest range of fuels with a low carbon footprint, specifically for maritime transport.

For its part, the Navantia Engine Factory will provide the technical knowledge of the engines and will make its facilities in Cartagena available to the project, as well as test benches and diagnostic equipment for the characterization and development of the tests that, together with a classification society, will certify the viability and sustainability of the technology in operation.

Navantia's participation is in line with the roadmap of Navantia's Green Energy Department and will include the collaboration of the Center of Excellence for Hydrogen Technologies and Energy Storage (CEDTH) created by Navantia in Cartagena.

Both companies are also linked in the SHYNE initiative, the multisectoral consortium that was presented on January 19 and which brings together a total of 33 companies, associations, technology centers and universities to promote the decarbonization of the economy through renewable hydrogen. Repsol and Navantia, through its CEDETH, will explore new areas of collaboration in hydrogen.

Repsol and Navantia are leading companies that are strongly committed to sustainability and energy transition. Repsol was the first company in its sector to set itself the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Its 2021-2025 Strategic Plan reflects a decarbonization path based on increasing renewable generation, industrial transformation and renewable hydrogen as fundamental pillars. In this way, the company will be able to transform its industrial complexes into multi-energy hubs capable of manufacturing essential products with a low, zero or even negative carbon footprint. In this regard, the company has already announced pioneering projects, such as the construction of Spain's first advanced biofuels plant in Cartagena, which will manufacture 250,000 tons per year of biojet, biodiesel, bionaphtha and biopropane from waste. In addition, Repsol will build one of the world's largest synthetic fuels plants in Bilbao, together with Saudi Aramco. Thus, Repsol will provide the most complete range of sustainable energy solutions for the home, for any segment of mobility and for the industrial sector.

Committed to society and its environment, Navantia, as a public company and industrial and technological driving force, promotes collaborative initiatives for the development of projects aimed at the energy transition, decarbonization and digitalization of the naval sector and the Spanish production model, contributing to the fulfillment of sustainable development objectives agreed in the European Green Deal, as well as to the recovery of the Spanish economy with the generation of growth and stable employment.