His Royal Highness the Prince of Asturias officially opened the expansion of Repsol’s refinery in Cartagena today, the biggest industrial investment in Spanish history. Repsol Chairman, Antonio Brufau accompanied Don Felipe at the opening, which was also attended by the Minister for Industry, José Manuel Soria, and the president of the Autonomous Community of Murcia Ramón Luís Valcárcel, along with other government officials.

The expansion of the Cartagena refinery, which received an investment of 3.15 billion euros, is the largest in the history of Spain, and one of the key projects in Repsol’s strategy. It is expected to improve Spain’s trade balance, and considerably reduce imports of motor fuels.

The operating of the new refinery has led to the creation of 800 direct jobs, and another 800 in contract companies, not to mention an estimated induced employment of more than 8,000 people. Some 20,000 people have taken part in the expansion works, with daily peaks of more than 7,700 workers.

In his speech, Antonio Brufau stated that the new refinery is a benchmark for environmental sustainability, safety and energy saving. “This project illustrates Repsol’s spirit: a refinery that wouldn’t have withstood the financial crisis that we have been suffering since 2008 has been transformed into a pioneer installation. Rather than cutting jobs, more have been created”, declared the chairman of Repsol.

After unveiling a commemorative plaque, His Royal Highness the Prince of Asturias visited the refinery’s new units that double production capacity, reaching 11 million tonnes a year (220,000 barrels a day), 50% of which will be medium distillate, above all the gas oils. This project, along with that carried out at the Petronor refinery (Biscay), places Repsol among the European companies with the best production scheme.

The new installations allow clean fuels to be obtained for transport, boosting the use of biofuels and maximise energy efficiency in the production process. With the start-up of the new units, the Cartagena refinery has become one of the world’s most modern, offering the biggest conversion capacity. It is also among the most efficient in Europe, on both an energy and environmental level.

To see the Cartagena refinery site