Naturgy has launched a new Remote Control Center (RCC) from which it supervises and operates its 17 combined cycle plants in Spain in real time. This project, considered by the company itself to be a technological challenge, is a worldwide pioneer in the energy sector and represents an operational milestone, since it allows for optimization of management, improvement of flexibility and reinforcement of the efficiency of these plants. According to the energy company, the center will result in better provision of services to the electrical system in terms of quality of response and security of supply, at a time when these strategic facilities have proven to be the most critical technology for the Spanish electrical system.
The CCR, located at the Sagunto combined cycle plant (Valencia), integrates advanced digital tools, supervision systems and predictive algorithms based on artificial intelligence. Thanks to this technology, Naturgy can safely coordinate from this new facility complex operations such as starts and stops of its 17 plants, as well as optimize its response in the provision of critical services for the system in real time, reinforcing its role as the generation fleet that provides the most security to the Spanish system.
This CCR is added to the two facilities through which Naturgy manages its renewable power: the CCR of La Coruña, which supervises the operation of wind and photovoltaic parks in Spain and Mexico, and the CCI of Ourense, which is responsible for the supervision of hydraulic installations.
“Naturgy has been a pioneer in the implementation of a single remote control center that operates the entire generation park with combined cycles, which allows efficiency and flexibility that are benchmarks in the sector. In recent months, the crucial role of flexible generation assets has been highlighted, which support voltage control, response to contingencies and compensate for the disappearance of photovoltaic energy during the night and during demand peaks,” explains Pedro Larrea, general director of Networks at Naturgy.
Combined cycles
Combined cycles are electricity production plants that transform natural gas energy into electricity by combining two consecutive generation processes through a gas turbine and a steam turbine. These infrastructures stand out for their high availability and flexibility for the energy system and, therefore, are key to providing a variety of critical services to guarantee supply every day and at all hours.
Their strategic role has been evident both in emergency situations and in the daily operation of the system in recent months, when these facilities have demonstrated their ability to guarantee security of supply while facilitating the penetration of renewable energies.
Naturgy is the main combined cycle operator in Spain through a park made up of 17 facilities with a combined power of 7.4 GW that are at the disposal of the system operator. In 2025, this cycle park will register a production of close to 15 TWh, equivalent to the consumption of 4.5 million homes.
Naturgy allocates an average of more than 100 million euros annually to maintain its park in optimal conditions, which allows these facilities to be incorporated into the system with a reliability of more than 98% in the start-up processes as well as a high response capacity to the needs of the electrical system. In addition, these facilities are prepared to operate with renewable gases, which will guarantee their role in the energy transition and long-term security of supply.