New use for disused refinery put forward

A DISUSED oil refinery at the foot of Alicante City’s Serra Grossa could become a cultural theme park.

The idea was put forward by Ignasi Candela, an MP for the Compromis party in the national parliament in Madrid.

The ‘La Britanica’ refinery, which was built in 1875 on a site carved out by quarrying, eventually supplied half of Spain’s petrol. It was eventually taken over by Campsa and moved in1966 when new storage tanks were built at the Alicante port.

‘La Britanica’ became State Patrimony in the 80’s and is now administered by the central government. The refinery site, which includes tunnels inside the Serra Grossa is unique in Spain, Candela said. 

The zone’s archaeological finds go back to the Bronze Age and the Iberians but there are later remains including the Los Almendros concentration camp where Republicans were held after the Civil War.