• The project means a decisive impulse in the manufacture and use of biodiesel
• The location of the plant reinforces its economic viability due to existing synergies with the Refinery "Gibraltar"
• The investment will ascend to 42 million euros

Madrid, December 21, 2005. - CEPSA and Abengoa Bionergy have reached an agreement on the construction of a plant for the production of biodiesel. The new facility will occupy approximately 21,000 square metres of terrain of the Refinery "Gibraltar", CEPSA in San Roque (Cadiz). The investment anticipated for the plant is of 42 million euros and will create 40 direct jobs.

The manufacturing process will be carried out from crude vegetable oils and the biodiesel produced will be blended into a 5% with diesel. The annual production of biodiesel will reach 200,000 tons and will be used completely by CEPSA.

The construction of this plant is a response to CEPSA´s interest in fulfilling the recommendations regarding the incorporation of biofuels of vegetable origin that emanate from the European Union as well as from the Spanish Administration. Due to its location, in the enclosure of the Refinery "Gibraltar", the biodiesel plant will allow for the reduction of logistic costs and the generation of a competitive activity.

With this new plant CEPSA and Abengoa Bioenergy collaborate once again in the development of products with lower environmental repercussion. To be highlighted in the case of biodiesel: the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and the reduction of other environmental pollutants.

The collaboration between CEPSA and Abengoa Bioenergy goes back a long way. CEPSA is an energy company especially sensitive to the rational development of the use of biofuels and was the first company in Spain – the year 2002 - thattransformed its MTBE plant of the Refinery "Gibraltar" into ETBE, a component which incorporates bioethanol and increases the fuel grade of the gasoline. In 2004, along with Abengoa Bioenergy, it also engaged in the construction of another ETBE plant in its Refinery of “La Rabida” in Huelva, supplied by Abengoa Bioenergys´ plants in Cartagena and La Coruña, as the one located in the Refinery “Gibraltar”.

Likewise, the operation of the new plant should facilitate the creation of jobs in rural areas on favouring the development of energy crops susceptible to be used as raw materials in the production process.

Additionally, seeing as it is diesel, in which Spain is clearly lacking, the plant will contribute in the reduction of dependency abroad, and will also favour the fulfilment of the goals foreseen in the Renewable Energies Plan approved recently by the Government.

With the starting up of the biodiesel production plant, both companies also want to contribute in the fulfilment on behalf of Spain of its commitments to the Kyoto Protocol and also to projects that, in general, are more respectful towards the environment and support social development.

Abengoa Bioenergy, is the European leader in the production and commercialization of bioethanol for its use in automobiles and it is also the fifth producer of bioethanol in the United States. With this project in the biodiesel field, Abengoa Bioenergía strengthens its activity in the area of biofuels. (www.abengoabioenergy.com).

CEPSA is a company dedicated to the world of energy with integrated systems related to petroleum, petrochemicals, natural gas and electricity, with a strong presence in Spain and a progressive internationalization of production. (www.cepsa.com)