Annual Report - EDP

: performance :EDP Distribuição has the concession of theNational Distribution of Electricity for Mediumand High Voltage grids and the concession of theDistribution Networks, in Low Voltage, of all themainland municipalities (278). Currently, it has224 thousand km of grid and in 2012 distributed44.7TWh of electricity to a total of 6.1 millionsupply points. In Spain, HC Energía, distributedelectricity to 5 autonomous regions, through 23 kmof grid, having distributed 9.0TWh during 2012.EDP Gás Distribuição centers its operationsin the development and exploration of the gasdistribution public grid in the northern coastregion of Portugal (29 municipalities in thedistricts of Porto, Braga and Viana do Castelo),having 4,321 km of grid and distributed in 20127.3TWh of natural gas to about 290 thousandsupply points. Naturgás Energía has 9,875km ofgrid in 9 provinces, spread across 8 autonomouscommunities where in 2012 distributed 55.8TWhto more than 1 million supply points.In 2012, the weak macroeconomic context hada negative impact in the electricity distributionactivity. Compared to 2011, EDP Distribuiçãoregistered a decrease in the level of distributedelectricity (-1.4TWh, -2.8%) along with a decreasein the number of supply points (-42 thousand),having HC Energía decreased by 0.5TWh (-5%) itselectricity distributed. However, in the gas sector,it was possible for EDP distributors to grow interms of supply points (+9 thousand in Portugaland +14 thousand in Spain), volumes sold (+3% inPortugal and +15% in Spain) and grid kilometres(+5% in Portugal and +2% in Spain)The year of 2012 was another excellent year interms of satisfying power energy demand needsin Portugal and Spain. The “Installed CapacityEquivalent Interruption Time” (ICEIT) indicatorscored the best mark ever with 58 minutes inPortugal and 28 minutes in Spain, which impliesa reduction of 17 and 11 minutes, respectivelywhen compared to 2011. In the recent years, therehas been a significant reduction of this indicatorpresenting an average of 28%/year in Portugaland 21%/year in Spain. These results follow anappropriate grid investment and maintenance,held through the implementation of projects whichaim at anticipating possible grid constraints.EDP Gás Distribuição main objective was thesaturation of the existing grid, with a particularemphasis in converting current assets to naturalgas, by building infrastructures in areas alreadysupplied with natural gas and by extending gridsto municipalities not yet supplied with natural gas.In Spain, under the expansion of Naturgas Energíadistribution grid, the company started supplyingnatural gas to the following municipalities: LaGranda-Logrezana-Tabaza, Niembro and Villallana(Asturias), Torrepacheco (Murcia), Santillana delMar and Puente Viesgo (Cantabria) and the phaseI of Masustegui-Bilbao (Basque country).Under the normal low voltage microgeneration inPortugal, 4,787 new customers were connectedwith an installed capacity of 17MW, existing at theyear-end 22,114 microgenerators connected tothe grid, with an installed capacity of 79MW. In2012 there was a significant activity of connectingmicrogenerators, with 442 new customers withan installed capacity of 21MW. Furthermore, 38new Special Regime Generators (SRG) with a64MVA capacity were connected to the grid,summing up at year-end 998 SRG with aninstalled capacity of 4,935MVA. Among the typesof customers from these new connections, windand photovoltaic technologies are predominant.In 2012, EDP Distribuição pursued the objectivewhich has been developing since 2007, ofimplementing infrastructures and changesassociated to the paradigm of the smartdistribution grids, in particular through theInovGrid project. This paradigm is based on theimplementation of a set of new technologies andadvanced models of processing information andin grid operations such as, remote management,automation, active storage and active energymanagement. These innovations will allow, onone hand, to increase the capacity to integratein the grid new ecological technologies such as,the distribution of renewable generation and theelectricity transportation and on the other hand,to provide customers conditions to increaseelectricity consumption efficiency, in particularby providing detailed and current informationabout their consumption patterns. This twofoldapproach both on clean energy integration and onan increasing consumption efficiency, positionssmart grids as an answer to the sustainabilitychallenge. The technologies and concepts ofinnovative operations that characterize the smartgrids are also a powerful tool for, increasingoperations efficiency, improving servicesprovided to customers and improving knowledgeand management of the business risks, whichare the three key objectives that outline EDPDistribuição strategy.Additional information can be found in thei&d and innovation chapter.Oliveira do Bairro Substation -PortugalEDP - Annual Report 201245