- These voluntary environmental statements demonstrate Cepsa's commitment to transparency, innovation and taking responsibility for the environment
- The Puente Mayorga Chemical Plant has been making EMAS environmental statements for over 25 years
According to both statements, which were audited by AENOR, the San Roque Energy Park and the Puente Mayorga Chemical Plant achieved the single certification for the environmental management system in accordance with ISO 14001, as well as the validation of the EMAS Environmental Statement (an environmental management tool stemming from voluntary European Union regulations that recognizes organizations that have implemented a management system and have made a commitment to continuous improvement, verified by independent audits), to provide the public and other interested parties with information regarding the environmental performance of the industrial centers and continuous improvement in environmental protection. In addition, the environmental report for Cepsa's maritime terminal was also verified in compliance with the Puertos del Estado Guide to Environmental Best Practices. The Puente Mayorga Chemical Plant, which has been on the EMAS register for more than 25 years and was the first facility in Spain to obtain this certificate, has recently been recognized by the Regional Ministry of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy for this merit. The Energy Park will celebrate this anniversary next year.
Investment in environmental improvements at the San Roque Energy Park amounted to 22.3 million euros, while the Puente Mayorga Chemical Plant invested 5.2 million euros, mainly in projects to reduce emissions and energy consumption, and to improve waterproofing and water management.
The challenges, beyond the established compliance, have been met by 92% at the San Roque Energy Park and 100% at the Puente Mayorga Chemical Plant, highlighting those related to improving water management, a precious and scarce resource, and soil management. These results have been evaluated as very positive by the management of both facilities.
In addition, the environmental declarations contain information on many other aspects, always available to the public and to institutions and organizations, ranging from noise control to soil inspection, including air emissions management and training and awareness-raising activities for the company's own personnel and those of auxiliary companies.
The San Roque Energy Park maintains its SO2 emissions at historically low levels. In general, atmospheric emissions were well below the limits legally established in the Integrated Environmental Authorizations at both industrial centers.
The wastewater from the Puente Mayorga Chemical Plant is treated at the San Roque Energy Park water treatment plant. The environmental statements indicate that the volume of wastewater at the main discharge point was 26.7% lower than that permitted, and that the monthly average values were within the permitted limits at all times.
Also, at San Roque, Cepsa strives to be more energy efficient in order to make a significant contribution to reducing the environmental impact of its processes, because a reduction in energy consumption automatically implies lower emissions both of greenhouse gases and other gases which have an impact on air quality. Cepsa at San Roque is ISO 50001 certified. The aim of this standard is to promote energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the use of surplus energy.
Rosendo Rivero, director of the San Roque Energy Park, has highlighted "the work of the Environmental Protection team and all of us at Cepsa to reduce our footprint on the environment year after year, a commitment that extends to the transparency we maintain with our neighbors in Campo de Gibraltar, which is why we make this data public. We also continue working to implement new projects that will make the region and Andalusia the epicenter of the energy transition, because at Cepsa we have already started our decarbonization process, and we will lead the energy transition through biofuels, green hydrogen, and the principles of the Circular Economy."
On the other hand, the director of the Puente Mayorga Chemical Plant, Javier López Pupo, emphasized that "During the 2022 fiscal year, we made progress on our sustainability objectives that are included in the Positive Motion strategy, and we demonstrated the company's commitment to the use of new raw materials, alternative energy sources, and energy efficiency projects. All of these generate future investments to minimize not only the impact of our activity, but also that of our customers globally. This commitment in the value chain has made Puente Mayorga an environmental benchmark in the industrial detergency sector."
Through Fundación Cepsa, which was set up in 2016, Cepsa adopts a proactive stance in the defense and improvement of biodiversity in the areas surrounding its production facilities. A good example of this type of activity is the recovery of and improvements to the Madrevieja Environmental Station in San Roque. With this program, Fundación Cepsa is providing local people with a space and activities which make them aware of the natural environment of the area. There is also participation in the recovery of Arroyo Negro in La Línea.
The company has enabled the following e-mail address to answer any questions about the environmental statements and their content: comunicacion.sanroque@cepsa.com.
