the basque company Nantek, specializing in the advanced valorization of plastic waste, has signed an agreement with the Municipal Sanitation Company of Córdoba (Sadeco) for the construction of a industrial plant in the city of Cordoba to transform thousands of tons of plastics into biofuels and second-life petrochemical raw materials. The complex will be located within the Córdoba Environmental Complex (CMC) and aims to turn the city into a European leader in circular economy.
With a total investment that could exceed 65 million eurosThe project positions Nantek as the first European company to win a public tender for the elimination of plastic waste using recovery technologies. The facilities are scheduled to be operational around 2027, by which time Córdoba aims to be among the first European cities to achieve the goal of “Zero Plastic Waste”The operation relies on models of plastic waste disposal with energy efficiency.
An investment of more than 65 million in two phases
The agreement between Nantek, Sadeco and the City Council of Córdoba It is structured in two stages of development. In the first phase, the energy company will allocate 22 millones de euros to the construction of an initial plant capable of treating up to 16.000 annual tons de plastic waste from municipal collection.
The facilities will be built in a plot of approximately 10.000 square meters within the Sadeco environmental complex, on a plot of land roughly the size of a football field. Construction is scheduled to begin on second half of 2026, once the technical, environmental and financing procedures that the company is finalizing together with the consultancy Mount Street Group, through its office in Madrid, are completed.
In a second stage, contingent on the evolution of Sadeco's needs and the volume of available waste, Nantek plans expand the number of industrial reactors dedicated to the treatment of plastics. This expansion will increase the complex's treatment capacity to more than 54.000 tons per year of plastic waste, which will make Córdoba one of the most important technological hubs in circular economy and energy transition from southern Europe.
This second phase involves a additional investment of 43 million euroswhich, added to the initial contribution, will raise the total investment effort to over 65 million. The operation is part of Nantek's corporate strategy to expand its public-private partnership model from Spain to other European countries, as well as to Africa and the Middle East.
Treatment capacity and valorization technology
Once all its phases are completed, the Cordoba plant will have the capacity to to process more than 54.000 tons of plastic waste each year, primarily plastics that are currently difficult or impossible to recycle using traditional mechanical methods. These materials will become biofuels and second-life petrochemical feedstockspreventing its disposal in landfills.
The heart of the technological process will be based on the pyrolysisA method of thermal degradation in the absence of oxygen. Using this technique, plastic waste decomposes through the effect of heat without direct combustion, generating various value-added products, such as pyrolytic oil (intended for refineries or energy companies), solid fractions type tank (similar to coal) and biogas usable for energy.
According to the company, combining this technology with waste sorting and preparation systems will allow to utilize almost all of the plastic which arrives at the Córdoba Environmental Complex, thus providing a profitable outlet for materials that until now ended up in landfills or were underutilized. Nantek emphasizes that its solution has reached the TRL9 level, the highest level of technological maturity in real industrial environments.
The Cordoba plant will replicate and expand upon the experience of the facility that Nantek has been operating since 2022 in the Port of Bilbaowhere it already processes some 25.000 tons of plastic waste annually. With the new Andalusian facility, the company seeks to consolidate a model that can be exported to other cities facing similar waste management problems and regulatory pressure regarding plastics.
Environmental impact: zero discharge and emissions reduction
One of the project's main arguments is its contribution to the goal of “Zero Plastic Waste” in the municipality. According to estimates included in the plant's design, over the next 30 years, approximately [number missing] will be avoided in landfills. 350.000 tons of plastic wastewhich also implies a significant reduction in the occupation of new dumping space.
If we consider that one ton of compacted plastic film can be equivalent to about 5 cubic meters, that unburied volume would reach around 1.750.000 cubic metersThis figure has been compared to approximately 600 Olympic-sized swimming pools or 210 football fields with a one-meter-high platform. This avoids allocating new land to landfills and frees up space. potentially usable land for other urban or environmental uses.
In terms of emissions, the project anticipates a cumulative savings of approximately 630.000 tons of CO₂ over three decades, resulting from both the avoidance of methane and carbon dioxide from landfill decomposition and the replacement of conventional fossil fuels. To give you an idea, this reduction would be equivalent, according to the published calculation, to approximately 8 million car journeys between Madrid and Barcelona or to remove several thousand private vehicles from circulation for a full year.
The initiative in Córdoba aligns with the European Plastics Strategy and with the EU's decarbonization policy, by converting waste that is currently a problem into useful energy and industrial resourcesFurthermore, the approach meets the requirements of the Spanish Law on Waste and Contaminated Soils for a Circular Economyas well as various international directives on reducing discharges and promoting waste valorization.
Nantek frames this project within the commitments of the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)especially those related to climate action, responsible production and consumption, and sustainable cities. The plant model aims to demonstrate that it is possible to combine economic profitability, efficient waste management and mitigation of environmental impact long term.
Employment, green hub and public-private partnership
On the socio-economic level, the construction and operation of the plant will have a significant impact on local employmentThe first phase envisions the creation of some 25 direct work postsa figure that will increase as the facility reaches its design capacity until it reaches approximately 150 direct jobsThey will be joined by more than 300 indirect jobs linked to suppliers, auxiliary services, transport and logistics.
The project is part of the so-called Sadeco 5.0 green polo shirtThe strategic plan with which the municipal company aims to modernize urban waste management in Córdoba and move towards a more efficient, digitized system with a smaller environmental footprint. To this end, the City Council has granted Nantek a 30-year surface right, extendable for an additional decade, which will allow for the amortization of the investment and the continuity of the activity in the long term.
The company emphasizes that this model is based on a public-private partnership Nantek is responsible for the investment, while Sadeco is in charge of waste management and integrating the project into the municipal strategy. The consultancy firm Mount Street Group is involved in designing the most suitable financing structures for each phase, combining private capital and potential complementary instruments.
El Nantek CEO, Carlos UragaUraga has stated that the Cordoba complex will mark a turning point in urban waste management, placing Cordoba among the most advanced cities in the world in terms of sustainability and self-sufficiency in plastics management. According to Uraga, the initiative will strengthen the attracting industrial investment in the municipality and will consolidate the creation of green jobs linked to the new energy recycling economy.
The company also has professionals with strong local ties in its management structure, such as Javier Sánchez-RamadeHe comes from a well-known business family in Córdoba and has served for several years as the operations director of the Biscayan firm. This type of profile strengthens the link between the company and the region where the new plant will be located.
Nantek and Sadeco: two key players in the new waste management
Nantek presents herself as a international energy company which is committed to using non-recyclable plastic waste as a strategic source of energy and sustainable raw material. With the Bilbao plant already operational and projects underway in Spain, Italy, Africa and the United Arab EmiratesThe firm aims to establish itself as a leading provider of advanced valuation solutions.
The company claims that its technology allows it to obtain high-quality circular productswith analyses that support the suitability of the fuels and materials generated for commercialization. In fact, it claims to have letters of interest for the purchase of the entire production which will be generated at the Cordoba plant, something that reinforces the industrial viability of the project and its ability to integrate into existing supply chains.
For its part, Sadeco It is the municipal company responsible for waste collection and treatment, street cleaning, pest control, and the management of the animal welfare center in Córdoba. In recent years, the public entity has been characterized by its promotion of these services. environmental awareness initiatives and educational campaigns aimed at improving recycling rates and reducing waste.
The project with Nantek falls precisely within that line of work, by incorporating a state-of-the-art technological solution which reinforces Córdoba's role as an urban laboratory for the circular economy. For the municipal company, the alliance allows it to get ahead of the future European requirements in the area of plastics and to avoid the additional costs that municipalities that continue to bury this type of waste will have to bear.
With the new plant, Córdoba aims to consolidate its position as an example of A city that transforms an environmental problem into an economic and technological opportunityUsing industrial innovation to reduce emissions, free up landfill space and create quality local jobs, while aligning with climate and circular economy goals set at European level.
