Mahou San Miguel, the Spanish brewing giant, has revealed plans for a biomass plant to reduce CO2 emissions by 95%.
The brewery's ambitious decarbonisation roadmap was unveiled last week at its Alovera factory in Guadalajara, the largest in Spain.
Jordi Hereu, the Minister of Industry and Tourism, attended the event where the brewing company explained how an investment plan worth around €40 million, is focused on sustainability and reducing the company's environmental impact.
“We are the brewery with the largest industrial footprint in the sector and this allows us to generate a unique impact in socioeconomic terms, generating local employment and wealth with minimal environmental impact,” said Alberto Rodríguez-Toquero, general manager of Mahou San Miguel.
Vamos 2030
He also explained 'Vamos 2030', a new sustainability plan at the launch, "As leaders in the sector, we must invest and promote projects that allow us to continue growing responsibly, promoting changes in the way we operate and throughout our value chain to move towards a more sustainable production model and economy."
With an estimated investment of more than €15 million, the Alovera biomass plant will be built and operated by Magnon Servicios Energéticos, a subsidiary of the Ence group.
It will also assume the supply of thermal energy in the form of superheated water and biomass with SURE certification, which accredits the sustainable supply and production of the same.
The forecast of both companies is to begin the execution works in the first quarter of 2025 so that the facility is operational in 2026.
CO2 Reductions
This biomass plant is one of the 19 initiatives included in the first line of aid granted by the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, within the framework of the Strategic Project for Economic Recovery and Transformation (PERTE) for industrial decarbonisation of our country, which will allow a reduction of 551,000 million tons of CO2 per year.
Minister Hereu said, "It is an honour to learn first-hand about this collaborative project in a company like Mahou San Miguel with more than 130 years of history, committed to leading the transformation and taking advantage of this great opportunity to boost the future of the industry."
Opened in 1993, the plant has a capacity of 7 million hectolitres per year – around 3 million litres per day, which translates into 12 million beers per day – and a surface area of 430,000 m² housing 13 packaging lines.
