Jul 29. () –
IAG has signed an agreement with Repsol to purchase and supply more than 28,000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) over the next six months, representing the largest purchase of this product in Spain.
The fuel will be used in the aircraft of IAG airlines – Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Iberia Express and Vueling – that fly into Spanish airports.
IAG is committed to decarbonising its business and has set a target of using 2% SAF by 2025, as set out in the ReFuelEU Aviation regulation.
The use of SAF allows a reduction of more than 80% of emissions compared to traditional kerosene throughout its life cycle, from production to consumption.
This year, Repsol began producing 100% renewable fuels at its facilities in Cartagena (Murcia Region). The plant, the first large-scale plant in Spain and Portugal dedicated exclusively to the production of 100% renewable fuels and in which Repsol has invested 250 million euros, has a production capacity of 250,000 tons per year and can produce renewable diesel and SAF from waste.
IAG CEO Luis Gallego stressed in a press release that sustainability is one of the “pillars” of its strategy, but stressed the need for governments to “continue supporting the creation of a SAF industry that increases its availability and reduces its price.”
Repsol CEO Josu Jon Imaz said that this agreement with IAG consolidates its commitment to 100% renewable fuels as a “key lever for the decarbonisation of transport in Spain”.
The two companies have been collaborating for several years on decarbonisation. In 2021, Iberia carried out the first flight in Spain using biofuel produced from waste. The flight was on the route between Madrid and Bilbao and used sustainable fuel produced at the Petronor refinery.
In addition, a year later, Iberia operated its first long-haul flights with this biofuel in collaboration with Repsol, from Madrid to Washington, San Francisco and Dallas. Iberia and Repsol are part of All4Zero, the technological innovation hub with an industrial orientation focused on the development of technologies for decarbonisation and the circular economy.
Also in 2021, Vueling carried out its first flight using sustainably sourced fuel on the route between Barcelona and Seville. In this case, with SAF produced at Repsol’s industrial centre in Tarragona from biomass. In addition, last February, coinciding with the Malaga Festival, Vueling operated a flight between Barcelona and the Andalusian city in which half of the fuel used was SAF provided by Repsol.
The multi-energy company’s goal is to achieve a production capacity of up to 1.7 million tons of renewable fuels in 2027 and up to 2.7 million in 2030, thus leading this market in the Iberian Peninsula.
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