Avalon Renovables, together with Foresight, presents its innovative biofuel plant in Jaén to authorities from Andalusia and the central government.

• Avalon Renovables was accompanied by the Secretary of State for Education of the Spanish Government, the government delegate of the Junta de Andalucía, the deputy for employment and business of Jaén and the mayor of Martos.
• 100 million for the construction of the plant, which will start in November 2025 and is scheduled to be commissioned by the end of 2027.
• The Alperujo H2 plant will produce e-methanol, biomethane, biogenic CO2, green hydrogen and other sustainable by-products for application in the agricultural sector.
• The project will generate about 200 direct jobs during the construction of the plant and more than 40 during the operation phase.

Jaén, September 20, 2024. Avalon Renovables, pioneers in the development of large-scale energy solutions, together with Foresight Energy Infrastructure Partners 1 (FEIP 1), held today the presentation ceremony of its 100% green biofuel production plant, located in Martos (Jaén), with an investment of 100 million euros in the construction phase and which offers an innovative and sustainable solution for the olive industry. The event was attended by important personalities from the olive sector, authorities from Andalusia and the Spanish Government.

This firm commitment by Avalon Renovables and Foresight will generate around 200 direct jobs during the construction phase and more than 40 during its operation, estimated for 25 years. Construction of Alperujo H2 is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2027.

In the speeches of the different personalities, the importance of the project and the relevance it will have in the sector were emphasized, highlighting its commitment to innovation and sustainable development.

"The Alperujo H2 project, with an investment of 5.4 million euros by the Government of Spain through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, represents an extraordinary opportunity that will have a first and definitive impact on the economic progress of Martos and its region, but also on the whole of Andalusia and, ultimately, on the country.

The process that begins today, both in itself and in the foreseeable settlement of other industries that, taking advantage of the momentum of Alperujo H2, will move Martos towards the forefront of industrial transformation, will require a large number of professionals specialized in different technological branches. Therefore, it is time to support and strengthen the training offer of the IES of the town that offer specialized vocational training.

The response from the educational centers to the demand of this labor market that is envisioned will benefit greatly from the modernization, updating and dignification of Vocational Training that has taken place in recent years.

The commitment of the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sport to support technological transformation is firm, as it represents an essential element for the economic and social progress of our society," said Mr. Abelardo de la Rosa, Secretary of State for Education of the Government of Spain.

For his part, D. Jesús Estrella, delegate of the Government of the Junta de Andalucía in Jaén, has highlighted the importance of the responsible use of resources and the projection that the plant will mean for the region: "today the Government of the Junta de Andalucía applauds this business initiative of Avalon Renovables not only for the important investment in Martos, but also for its commitment to the development of the province of Jaén valuing the olive by-products from sustainability and endorsing the commitment of the Government presided by Juanma Moreno around the circular economy". Likewise, Estrella has put in value "the importance of tools like this one, in a province like Jaén in which proposals and applications are needed to put in value these by-products of the olive sector".

On behalf of the Diputación de Jaén, Mr. Luis Miguel Carmona, Deputy of Employment and Enterprise, has shown during his speech "his satisfaction for the launching of this business project in Martos and, therefore, in the province of Jaén, since the creation of this plant represents a strong commitment to renewable energies". For Carmona, this new business project "becomes a reference and a new model for this province for the production of green hydrogen and the use of olive by-products, such as olive pomace, with what this implies for the olive grove in particular and for agriculture in general".

"From the town council of Martos we would like to thank the company and the whole team that is promoting this very important project that will be one of the most powerful investments that our city has ever known. This project has a double value because in addition to the economic one, it facilitates an important turn of the olive oil sector towards the use of the by-products that until now have been a problem and that are intended to be converted into renewable energies and reusable products. We also want to highlight the effort and commitment of the government team to support and promote all those projects that provide us with industrialization and employment generation, as is the case of Avalon", finally stated Mr. Emilio Torres, Mayor of Martos.

During the presentation, the current situation of the olive oil companies has been exposed due to the demanding European regulation that they need from other industries to get rid of the main waste generated in the olive oil production process, the alperujo (olive pomace). Avalon Renovables and Foresight propose a new ecological agro-industrial model that aims to lead the way and redefine waste management in the sector. It solves the problem that alperujo treatment poses for the olive oil industry in the most efficient way possible to obtain from it not only biomethane, but mainly green methanol, biogenic CO2, 100% renewable electricity, ecological compost, green hydrogen and even lampante olive oil with the same tons of alperujo.

Nowadays, there are already support development policies for biogas production that intend to use alperujo as a primary source for biomethane production, although technically these are not very efficient alternatives due to their low methanogenic power (capacity to generate biogas through its decomposition). The Alperujo H2 biofuel production plant is much more than a temporary solution based on state aid or forced by the adaptation to regulations in order to overcome a series of difficulties, it is a business model that will change the obsolete concept of the pomace mills for an ecological and 100% renewable agro-industrial model.

The process is focused on achieving the best possible valorization of this waste, generating a high value for the oil producing cooperatives and mills. The plant will have the capacity to treat 250,000 tons of alperujo. Furthermore, this project could be complemented with others being developed by the company in Andalusia, as, for example, the more than 130,000 tons of biogenic CO2 captured per year could be used for the production of green methanol and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF - Sustainable Aviation Fuels).

In terms of innovation and technology, its design allows it to be easily replicated in the future, with the consequent savings in investment and faster start-up of the next Avalon Renovables plants in Spain.

In the words of Alberto Rabanal, Managing Partner of Avalon Renovables: "We have created a business model that will change the traditional concept of olive oil mills for a 100% ecological one. The Martos plant is completely autonomous, replicable and multipurpose, and will consolidate new sources of green energy production essential to solve the problem of waste management in the olive sector and olive production in the territory".

This is a project funded by the European Union - Next Generation EU under the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.

About Avalon Renovables

Avalon Renovables is a company dedicated to the development, construction and operation of renewable energy projects and sustainable solutions as well as waste valorization. Its comprehensive approach ranges from technical and financial planning to commercial operation, collaborating with key players in the energy sector and industry to drive decarbonization in difficult-to-transition industrial processes. Specializing in managing the entire value chain, it contributes to cleaner and more sustainable energy through its portfolio of renewable generation and green hydrogen projects.