Adif and Exolum have signed an agreement to study the development of a rail logistics network that will connect Exolum’s facilities to Adif’s network to facilitate the transport of CO2, ammonia, methanol, biofuels, and other raw materials.
This will provide the market with an immediate, versatile, low-impact solution for transporting the energy products of the future.
Under this agreement, which will be implemented and coordinated through the Office of the Commissioner for the Atlantic Corridor, a strategic study will be carried out of the capacity of Adif’s railway infrastructure for transporting these goods from Exolum’s terminals near the production centres of these new fuels to its storage terminals in key ports, with special emphasis on the Atlantic Corridor. Feasibility analyses will also be carried out, including studies of track capacity and the viability of establishing new sidings and accesses as part of a private transport infrastructure between production plants and ports. Exolum has rail sidings at 17 of its Spanish terminals connected to the Adif network, and has previous experience in the transport of energy products and other bulk liquids by rail.
This new logistics network will allow a range of products to be transported, such as CO2 captured from large industries, which will be carried by the rail network for sequestration or reuse, thereby helping reduce emissions. The network will also facilitate the transport of e-fuels such as e-ammonia and e-methanol, promoting the decarbonisation of the energy and transport sector. It will also be possible to transport raw materials, including vegetable oils and fats, as well as biofuels such as bio-methanol and bioethanol.
The network will be developed using existing infrastructures, offering multiple advantages, including facilitating rapid implementation without the need for new expropriations or lengthy administrative processes. Moreover, with rights of way already in place, environmental and social impacts on local communities are minimised. This strategy reduces operating costs with more cost effective logistics solutions, and will boost the market penetration of the products transported.
After the signing of this agreement, the President of Adif, Pedro Marco de la Peña, said that partnerships with companies such as Exolum, “are vital for promoting intermodality and encouraging sustainable, efficient and competitive freight transport”.
According to Ignacio Casajús, Exolum’s Global Strategy & Growth Lead: “this alliance will allow us to optimise the logistics of these new products through a sustainable and efficient transport network, providing an immediate response to the needs of the market and allowing existing infrastructures to be reused”.
For his part, the Government Commissioner for the Atlantic Corridor, José Antonio Sebastián, highlighted the contribution of this initiative to the development of intermodality in Spain. “The success of the Atlantic Corridor is directly linked both to the development of the infrastructure itself and to the interest and cooperation of the private sector, which will ultimately operate and use the infrastructure.”
The partnership between Exolum and Adif to create this logistics network reinforces both organisations’ commitment to innovation and sustainability, positioning Spain at the forefront in the development of logistics solutions for decarbonising the energy and transport sector.