Repsol to boost capacity of lube blending plant in Puertollano

Repsol will boost the capacity of its lube blending plant in Puertollano in the province of Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain from 115,000 tonnes to 170,000 tonnes per year.

Nearly 80% of Repsol lubricants come from Puertollano, where they are then distributed to more than 80 countries. The rest came from 10 other lube blending plants in countries like China, Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Repsol said it will invest EUR5 million (USD5.7 million) to expand the plant’s capacity as part of the company’s objective to increase lubricant sales in its domestic and international markets. In 2016, Repsol sold 147,000 tonnes of lubricants.

The expansion plan is in line with Repsol’s 2017-2021 strategic plan to double its current lubricant sales volume to 300,000 tonnes. The plan includes quadrupling its sales volume abroad, primarily in Asia and Latin America.

To handle the expansion, the Puertollano lube blending plant will begin operating 24/7 and will increase its workforce to about 75 people.

The Puertollano site includes a refinery and downstream plants for production of ethylene, benzene, propylene or butadiene (BD), among others. The company also produces several grades of polymers at the site.

The company has been a leader in the Spanish lubricants market for more than 20 years.