Cepsa’s Gibraltar San Roque refinery has started up its new Sorbex-2 metaxylene plant, with the Warranty Compliance test approved by leading U.S. based energy company Universal Oil Products. This is one of the latest industrial advances made in this production process.

The new unit started up production after an investment of around €70 million and thanks to the work of a team from the Construction, Engineering and Operations departments, which assured it was started up on time.

Sorbex-2 will have a production capacity of 150 tons a day of high quality metaxylene, which is used as the raw material to make polymers and plastics. The new unit will work in tandem with the Sorbex-1 unit, which started production in 2008 and produces 210 tons a day.

Part of the load of xylene needed for the process will come from Cepsa’s La Rábida Refinery in Huelva, which has meant installing a new section to condition it.

Miguel Pérez de la Blanca, the Director of the Gibraltar San Roque Refinery, said that its start-up showed Cepsa’s commitment to the Campo de Gibraltar region where the company has operated for over 50 years.