In October 2007, EDP announced the InovGrid project, which main objective is to attend the great changes that currently are foreseen in the electric field.

This project was presented during a public session with the announcement being made by Mr António Mexia, chairman of EDP. Also present were the chairmen of all the participating institutions: EDP Inovação, EFACEC, INESC Porto, JANZ and EDINFOR. The Portuguese government was represented at the ceremony by Mr Manuel Pinho, Minister for Economic Affairs.

The project found motivation in the added value characterizing the new power generation forms, particularly the renewable and distributed, along with their implication in the Distribution network, as well as in satisfying the Remote Metering needs for medium voltage customers, according to the Community directives.

As a result of this future vision, EDP, through EDP Distribuição, signed a protocol with Portuguese institutions, including EFACEC, for creating a new interaction model between the power network and the consumers, which shall increase their interaction in a near future.

The InovGrid project will be centred in the Smart Grids concept, with direct impact at the distribution network level, where the strengthening of the intelligent remote management of assets, will endow the network to increase the dispersed generation capacity.

The consumers role shall become strengthened as well, not only from the micro-generation perspective, to which they shall contribute with expectable benefits resulting from their investment, but also from the reformulation of their active role within the management of the respective energy consumption, in a DSM perspective, promoting costs reduction as a consequence of a better energetic efficiency.

Other consumer benefits are also foreseen, resulting from new services availability, new tariffs and price plans, in line with the goal to reduce the respective electric power invoice.

Advantages are also foreseen for the other electric sector agents, since the InovGrid project shall promote market deregulation, considering also the MIBEL (Iberian Electricity Market), as well as the increase of the reliability and power supply quality, with direct impact on cost and loss reduction.

This initiative mission, with a global investment that may reach up to 1,000 million Euros, is to leverage new opportunities for the national industry, namely in developing and creating new competence centres, with impact on the economy dynamism, expressed in new jobs, as well as in experience capable to endow the national industry, including EFACEC, with capital gains and competitive capacity in exportation markets.

For EFACEC, this strategic partnership is reflected in the Automation business unit mission, which has been participating actively in the renewal of management, supervision and remote control systems for EDP’s power distribution networks, as well as of the automation and control systems of some of the main Portuguese hydro power plants, together with the implementation of the respective national dispatch.

This experience was, certainly, considered by EDP, and therefore, in the automation perspective, EFACEC sees itself as an excellent partner at the level of the challenge and mission that EDP defined for the InovGrid project.