Cepsa San Roque plant to begin producing bio-diesel in November

Cepsa refinery, San Roque

SAN ROQUE (Agencies) The Cepsa refinery will be producing bio-diesel by November, according to a statement by the company. The R&D department at Cepsa's refinery in Huelva has developed a new process for making bio-diesel fuel from vegetable (i.e. renewable) oil and that plant is beginning production right now, while production at San Roque is scheduled for the end of the year. In development since 2007 at the refineries in Huelva and Tenerife, the new fuel is intended to meet all the latest environmental directives set out by Brussles and Madrid. The company's three refineries involved with the fuel are scheduled to eventually be producing 100,000m3 per year. One of the advantages of bio-diesel is that it produces far less air pollution and contamination than standard carbon fuels, although there are those who say that producing the initial vegetable oil needed has caused world

Brussels says that the Cepsa refinery complies with EU environment regulations

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR (Agencies) The European Commission announced recently that it had not detected any infraction of European Law regarding the oil refinery belonging to the Cepsa Group in San Roque. The subject was raised by several environmental lobbies at the EU's Petition Commission, saying that the company is investing to improve or minimize pollution from the plant. "There is more investment planned over the next few years," stated a spokesperson for the Commission, but recognized that there had been "certain deficiencies. It is clear, however, that the operator has acted to minimise problems regarding power supply, which in the past have caused higher pollution levels at the plant, so the Commission cannot say that there is little or no compliance at present.">

Abu Dhabi state oil company buys out Spanish Cepsa

Cepsa's Madrid headquarters

SPAIN (Agencies) Abu Dhabi's International Petroleum Investment Company, (IPIC) has reached an agreement with French oil company Total to buy the latter's 48.83% of Cepsa for €3,724 millions. The Arab company already controlled 47.06% of the Spanish company. The deal obliges IPIC to launch a Public Offering (Oferta Pública de Adquisición in Spanish, usually simply opa), according to the National Commission of Securities Market. IPIC paid €28.5 per share, of which €28 comes from IPIC and the remaining €0.50 from dividends by Cepsa. The Arab company paid about 25% above Cepsa's market price at closing yesterday. (Cepsa owns and runs the refinery at San Roque).

Cepsa oil refinery in Huelva up in flames: two dead, two severely injured

(Photo: Diario de Sevilla) Fire broke out at 12.45pm yesterday at the Cepsa oil refinery in Huelva, similar to that in San Roque. There are two dead, and two severely burned, both of whom are 'on the way to recovery'. The fire, according to sources in Huelva, could have been caused by a truck hitting a fuel deposit, but the matter is still under investigation. The La Rábida refinery is located at Palos de la Frontera, only a couple of kilometres South of the capital, Huelva. The Junta's Department of the Environment said there was no danger from toxic fumes.