Ecoplanta Secures EU Innovation Fund Grant
Grant Agreement Signing
During a formal ceremony in Brussels, Ecoplanta signed a grant agreement with the European Commission under the Innovation Fund. The project was selected from over 300 submissions for its innovative technology and contribution to climate change mitigation.
Project Overview
The Ecoplanta project aims to transform municipal solid waste (MSW) management by using non-recyclable materials to produce circular chemicals and advanced biofuels. It is the only Spanish project among the seven selected at the European level in this Innovation Fund call.
Technological Innovation
Located in El Morell, near Tarragona, Spain, the plant will produce 240 kt/y of methanol and recover 70% of the carbon present in the non-recyclable materials. The project will achieve a reduction of 3.4 Mt CO2eq of greenhouse gas emissions over the first ten years of operation, aligning with the EU’s decarbonization goals.
Key Participants
High-level representatives from the three founding companies – Agbar, Repsol, and Enerkem – attended the signing ceremony. Clara de la Torre, Deputy Director-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA), and Dirk Beckers, Director of the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), represented the European Commission.
Statements from Stakeholders
Joaquin Suescun, Circular Economy and Decarbonization Director at Agbar, emphasized the project's role in advancing landfill alternatives and the importance of partnerships. Javier Sancho, Director of Repsol’s Industrial Complex in Tarragona, highlighted the alignment with Repsol’s decarbonization goals. Denis Arguin, Vice President of Commercial Development at Enerkem, noted the project's potential for replication across Europe to accelerate GHG reduction.
Institutional Support
The ceremony also featured speeches from Albert Castellanos, General Secretary for Business and Competitiveness, Generalitat de Catalunya, and Geneviève Brisson, Delegate General of Québec in Brussels.