Moeve and Emerita Resources have signed an agreement to incorporate 100% renewable diesel (HVO) into the operations of the Iberian Belt West mining project (IBW), located in the province of Huelva. According to the companies, this is the first agreement of its kind in Spain to use this fuel on an industrial scale within the mining sector.
The agreement designates Moeve as the preferred supplier of HVO for the project that Emerita Resources is developing between the municipalities of Puebla de Guzmán and Paymogo in Huelva. The fuel will be used both in the heavy machinery employed during the construction and operation of the facilities and in the road transportation of the mineral concentrates.
The HVO designated for these operations is a second-generation biofuel produced by Moeve at its facilities in Palos de la Frontera. According to the data provided by the company, its use can reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 90% over its entire life cycle compared to conventional diesel.
One of the features of this fuel is its compatibility with existing diesel engines, allowing its use without replacing the vehicles or machinery currently operating on conventional fuel. This circumstance facilitates its application in activities with high energy consumption and greater difficulties in relying on electrical systems, including heavy road transport and certain industrial uses.
The forecasts included in the agreement estimate that the use of HVO in transportation operations during the construction and operation phases of the mine could prevent the emission of approximately 2,600 tons of CO₂ each year. The companies equate this amount to the annual absorption of around 170,000 trees and point out that it would allow a truck to cover a distance of approximately three million kilometers.
The project also incorporates a logistical component linked to the geographical proximity of the different activities. The production of the renewable fuel is located in Huelva, as is the mining project and the planned port infrastructure to channel the export of the mineral concentrates. This configuration concentrates energy production, extractive activity, and part of the logistical chain associated with the mineral in the same province.
Carlos Barrasa, executive vice president of Commercial & Clean Energies at Moeve, has framed the agreement within the company's strategy to reduce emissions associated with heavy industry and other sectors where electrification presents greater challenges. The company considers second-generation biofuels among the available solutions to partially replace fossil fuels in these types of activities.
On the part of Emerita Resources, its CEO, Joaquín Merino, has linked the agreement with the environmental criteria set by the company for the development of Iberian Belt West and with the incorporation of low-emission energy solutions into future mining operations.
The planned supply also fits within the industrial projects that Moeve is developing in the province of Huelva. The energy company is building, along with its partner Apical, a new second-generation biofuels plant that will be integrated into its industrial complex in Huelva.
The installation contemplates an accumulated investment of 1.2 billion euros and will have flexible capacity to produce 500,000 tons annually of HVO and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Moeve includes this project in its plan to achieve a production capacity of 2.5 million tons per year of biofuels in the Iberian Peninsula by 2030.
Emerita Resources, for its part, is a Canadian company dedicated to acquiring, exploring, researching, and developing mining projects in the Iberian Pyrite Belt. In Huelva, it is developing Iberian Belt West, associated with the La Romanera deposit.
The documentation provided by the company estimates the planned investment for IBW at over 350 million euros and estimates that the project will generate more than 1,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The agreement thus links the future mining activity of Iberian Belt West with the production of renewable fuels by Moeve in Huelva and with the subsequent logistics of the mineral concentrates. The use of HVO is planned for both internal construction and operation work and for heavy transport associated with the activity of the complex.