In Spain, Holcim España, part of Holcim Group, a global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions, IGNIS P2X, a joint venture between Spain's largest independent renewable energy manager IGNIS ENERGIA, S.L. and global investment fund KKR, and global liquid logistics major Exolum Corporation SA (Exolum) have formed a strategic partnership to develop ECO2FLY, an innovative carbon dioxide circular economy project that will transform industrial emissions - inherent in the cement production process - into sustainable aviation fuel.
These sustainable electro-fuels (eFuels) can directly replace conventional fossil-derived kerosene with no need for adaptations in aircraft or supply infrastructure, facilitating the immediate decarbonization of air transportation.
The new facility, located at the Holcim facility in Villaluenga de la Sagra, Toledo, is designed to capture over 700,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually during cement production.
Part of this CO2 will be combined with green hydrogen produced from renewable energy to be converted into sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF), reaching an estimated production of 100,000 tonnes per annum.
The remaining CO2 will be stored permanently in geological repositories.
This strategic alliance between IGNIS P2X and Exolum represents a decisive step forward as part of our commitment to the transformation and decarbonization of the industry. Not only are we making progress on reducing the carbon emissions of our own processes, but we are also driving a key innovation for construction in the form of cement with a total carbon reduction, said Ricardo de Pablos, CEO of Holcim España.
José Antonio Membiela, CEO of IGNIS P2X, considers this project “the most important in the production of synthetic aviation fuel currently produced in Spain, both in terms of size and strategic location and the circularity it offers partners within energy, CO2 capture, methanol production and consumption in aviation.”
ECO2FLY combines the sustainability of a business of great importance to the surrounding area, such as the cement industry, with the creation of a new industry for decarbonization, which will generate employment and wealth for the region, José Antonio Membiela said.
A leading position
The combination of technology and production capacity for the fuel of the future of aviation positions ECO2FLY as a leader in Europe for the decarbonization of key development sectors considered difficult to decarbonize.
In this context, over the first ten years of operation, ECO2FLY will avoid emissions of over 6.5 million tonnes of CO2.
At ECO2FLY, companies have come together from different sectors, all of them key for society like construction, energy, mobility, tourism and logistics.
In this regard, Ignacio Casajús, Global Strategy & Growth Lead at Exolum, highlighted how “Exolum is making a firm commitment to the development of partnerships that allow the development of sustainable fuels that, as of today, are presented as the only viable solution to reducing carbon emissions in the short term in sectors like aviation and shipping”.
An opportunity for Europe
This partnership is an example of how inter-sectoral collaboration allows Europe to tackle challenges it faces successfully.
This project will be submitted to the next call of the European Union Innovation Funds. Its roll-out will not only contribute to the energy transition and help achieve net zero emissions, but it will also drive the position of Spain and the European Union as a leader in industrial innovation and sustainability, strengthening our energy independence.
This project is an opportunity to be leaders in Europe in the production of eSAF, which represents an enormous strategic value for the Spanish economy. It will be the start of a new industry that will create employment and wealth, and a new energy paradigm for the country, with the opportunity to become exporters of renewable fuel on a large scale for the first time, ended Javier Esteban, Director of the Consortium and Partner of P2X Spain.
