SABIC Chemical Plant in Spain Will be the 1st to Operate on 100% RE

Sabic's facility in Cartagena, Spain

The polycarbonate facility of SABIC in Spain is all set to become the world’s 1st large scale chemical plant to will run entirely on renewable energy

Sabic’s facility in Cartagena, Spain

The polycarbonate facility of SABIC in Spain is all set to become the world’s first large scale chemical production plant to run entirely (100 percent) on renewable energy after it agreed to a major new deal with Spanish utility Iberdrola to secure power from a (currently under development) solar power project.

SABIC is a global diversified chemical company, headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It manufactures on a global scale in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific, making distinctly different kinds of products including chemicals, commodity and high-performance plastics, agri-nutrients and metals.

“This ground-breaking deal with Iberdrola is a significant step towards achieving our long-term sustainability and clean energy targets. Partnerships of this kind are the cornerstone of our business growth model,” said Bob Maughon, EVP Sustainability, Technology & Innovation and CTO and CSO at SABIC.

The plant is expected to be completely operational by 2024 and is expected to help SABIC reach it’s 2025 clean energy target.

Vaughn further added that the breakthroughs in renewable energy technology have made deployment at this scale possible, adding the new plant will deliver 80,000-tonne annual reduction in indirect CO2 emissions strengthening the support and contribution to wider climate change initiatives like EU 2030.

Once the solar plant is operational, SABIC’s customers including the ones from automotive and constructive sectors will have access to polycarbonate solutions produced with 100 percent renewable power, the company said in a statement.

“These partnerships enhance the competitiveness of renewables and continue to create opportunities for the development of innovative projects that are transforming the present and the future of energy,” said Eduardo Insunza, Corporate Customer Global Director of Iberdrola.

Recently, global technology leader Apple Inc had announced that it plans to become carbon neutral across its entire business, manufacturing supply chain, and product life cycle by 2030. The company is already carbon neutral for its global corporate operations, and this new commitment means that by 2030, every Apple device sold will have net-zero climate impact.

“Businesses have a profound opportunity to help build a more sustainable future, one born of our common concern for the planet we share,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The innovations powering our environmental journey are not only good for the planet — they’ve helped us make our products more energy-efficient and bring new sources of clean energy online around the world. Climate action can be the foundation for a new era of innovative potential, job creation, and durable economic growth. With our commitment to carbon neutrality, we hope to be a ripple in the pond that creates a much larger change.”