If you prefer to always view the website in English, please click here.

Sociedad Española de Electricidad: the courage of pioneers

How did electricity get to Spain? What year was there electricity in homes? On the occasion of its 140th anniversary, we are reviewing the history of the first electricity company in Spain: Sociedad Española de Electricidad, of which, among many others, Endesa is a successor.

Panoramic view of Barcelona in 1913, with the thermal power station and the three chimneys in the foreground.
Panoramic view of Barcelona in 1913, with the thermal power station and the three chimneys in the foreground.

Today, electricity and light are a basic service in our lives and in our homes, but this has not always been the case. It is true that electricity always existed, as it is a force of nature; however, we had to wait thousands of years to discover it.

 

Electricity generation output in Spain

To move towards a better future, the energy sector has had to go a long way in the past. Like everything else, there was a beginning that, in this case, took place on 30 April 1881. On this day Sociedad Española de Electricidad (SEE) was founded in Barcelona. This was the first electricity company in Spain, which was established with the aim of transmitting the necessary electricity remotely. 

Immediately after its creation, the company installed its first power plant in the premises of a former yarn and textile factory in Barcelona. This gave way to the era of industrial electrification in Spain. It was therefore a pioneer, firstly, in the production of electrical equipment and, secondly, as a commercial electricity product.

Years later, in mid-1883, SEE installed its most important generation plant "Les Hortes de San Bertrán", which ended up becoming the company's main facility.

"At the time it was not easy to build an industry like that of electricity production. Demand was needed, in addition to a distribution network, and a plant was required to be built that, at the time, was really expensive to build and maintain due to the coal consumption", explains Luis Urteaga, professor at the University of Barcelona. "Sociedad Española de Electricidad, like all pioneers, had some difficulties, such as technological uncertainty or doubt as to which technical solution was most appropriate at the time."

“Sociedad Española de Electricidad, like all pioneers, had some difficulties, such as technological uncertainty or doubt as to which technical solution was most appropriate at the time”. 

- Luis Urteaga, historian and professor at the University of Barcelona.

One of the first occupations of the new urban space of the "Hortes de San Bertran" was the thermal power plant installed by SEE in 1883. The successive expansions of this plant created a large industrial block whose surface, as well as the power of its buildings and especially the three chimneys, were emblematic elements of that part of the city and symbol of Barcelona.

SEE found it difficult to expand its clientele and open up new fields of consumption. So, in 1894, the company was acquired by the large German company AEG that founded Compañía Barcelonesa de Electricidad (CBE) at the end of the same year. Immediately after its construction and as its first action taken, CBE acquired all the goods, concessions and services of SEE.

Now in 1897, CBE commissioned the Mata thermal power plant, also known as The Three Chimneys. This became a symbol of the Parallel, being, together with the Vilanova thermal power plant, the first large electricity generation plant commissioned in Barcelona. 

Images of the Mata thermal power station and the urban environment of Barcelona at the beginning of the 20th century.
Images of the Mata thermal power station and the urban environment of Barcelona at the beginning of the 20th century.

Between 1911 and 1912, CBE began negotiations with Barcelona Traction Light and Power Co. (RFE), which ended with RFE purchasing Barcelonesa de Electricidad. Almost in the 1950s, the Court of Reus declared Barcelona Traction bankrupt, leading to a lengthy dispute in which, in 1970, the Hague Tribunal ended up declaring the legitimacy of the bankruptcy decreed in 1948.

A few years later, in 1951, Sociedad Fuerzas Eléctricas de Cataluña (FECSA) was established as a bidder in the auction of Barcelona Traction's goods. On 17 June 1952, it therefore definitively acquired its assets.

By then, it had been eight years since Endesa was established in 1944, but it was in 1991 that Endesa launched a takeover bid to acquire 40% of FECSA. Finally, in 1998, Endesa initiated a process of corporate consolidation and corporate restructuring through the merger by absorption of its electricity companies in Spain, including FECSA.

The three chimneys seen from Avinguda del Paral-lel.
The three chimneys seen from Avinguda del Paral-lel.

How electricity revolutionised life in cities

Electricity and its use completely changed life in the city, especially revolutionising the fields of lighting, transportation and industry.

Evolución de la demanda de energía en Barcelona

Electricity demand in Barcelona

Lighting

Trams

Industry

 

Thousands of kWh

0

10.000

20.000

30.000

40.000

50.000

 

Años

1899

1900

1901

1902

1903

1904

1905

1906

1907

1908

1909

1910

1911

First, electricity introduced a cleaner and more spectacular way of lighting than gas lighting. This new lighting system took time to catch on, but it had very loyal customers from the outset. Restaurants, bars and shops, among others, adopted this new form of lighting quickly.

The second field influenced by electricity was transport. Until then, the means of transport that existed in cities were trams pulled by mules or horses. Only in some cases were there railway lines using steam engines. As the historian Urteaga points out, "electrified transport introduced a new mode of clean, efficient and safe transport, which end up dominating active systems."

Third, electricity revolutionised the field of industry. The application of electric motors made it possible to develop new production processes and, above all, to order the space in factories with more cleanliness and efficiency than the old system, based on steam engines or gas engines. The new electric motors added power and, above all, flexibility. They were able to provide the energy required by each production process. 

“Electricity was cleanliness, flexibility and versatility, offering real progress".

- Luis Urteaga, historian and professor at the University of Barcelona.

In short, electricity triumphed because it provided versatility and was able to produce a new form of lighting, energy and was a driving force applied to transport and industries and also provided a new source of heat energy: electric heating.

 

The transition to an emissions-free model                   

Contrary to what many people might think, the first thermoelectric plants reduced pollution in cities. In fact, thanks to their arrival, the small self-producing plants typical of each industry and, with them, the number of chimneys in operation among the streets of the city started to disappear. 

Engine room of the Mata thermal power station.
Engine room of the Mata thermal power station.

The electricity sector gained a definitive boost with the extension of hydropower, which was made possible, in turn, by the application of alternating current that allowed electricity to travel long distances. Thus, the origin of this could be miles away from industries and, at the same time, generated by taking advantage of the same force of water.

Antonio Mera, head of the Historical Fund of the Endesa Foundation, points to this moment as a key in the development of electricity: "If we were to choose a clear disruptive moment, it would be the commitment to hydroelectricity, an emissions-free energy that produced much cheaper generation costs."

“If we were to choose a clear disruptive moment, it would be the commitment to hydroelectricity, an emissions-free energy that produced much cheaper generation costs".

- Antonio Mera, head of the Historical Fund of the Endesa Foundation. 

In the last 30 years of the twentieth century, technological innovations gave way to the incorporation of other renewable energies such as solar thermal, photovoltaic and wind. Currently, the climate emergency has led to renewables already outstripping other energy sources on the peninsula in terms of installed capacity. 

Gráfico comparativo de potencia instalada: Endesa y España.

Installed capacity Spain and Endesa

Spain/ Endesa

1990

2000

2010

2020

 

MW

Renewable

Nuclear

Thermal

0

20.000

40.000

60.000

80.000

100.000

120.000

 

At Endesa we continue to work to drive the development of renewable energies and the transition to an energy model without emissions. But we do not forget the spirit of the pioneers, which one of the workers of the Mata thermal power plant, Juan Tatjé, an industrial engineer who had worked there since 1968, reminded us of recently: "We were next to the people, our customers, our subscribers. The spirit has always been of service."  

Related Content

advise icon go to the advise Facebook icon go to Facebook Twitter icon go to Twitter Youtube icon go to Youtube Messenger icon go to Messenger Linkedin icon go to Linkedin Instagram icon go to Instagram Shared Link icon Go to the shared link Checkmark Success icon Checkmark Success down arrow icon down arrow Previous Go to previous Next Go to the next close icon close add icon add up arrow icon up arrow oblique arrow icon look obliquely Arrow down icon Arrow down search engine icon search search engine icon search share icon share filter icon filter email icon send mail email icon email phone icon phone fax icon fac print icon print play icon play user icon go to the user section error icon an error has occurred info icon information thumb up icon like thumb up icon like thumb down icon don't like thumb down icon don't like clock icon Clock Lamp icon Lamp List icon List Map icon Go to the map Phone icon Phone Emergency icon Emergency Pause icon Pause Play icon Play Logout icon Sign off Phone icon Phone
go back icon go back in navigation number 50 icon go to product Tempo Happy 50 Horas calendar icon go to product Tempo Happy Día companies icon go to the business segment gas icon go to gas product catalog rising sun icon go to Tempo Verde-Renewable Energy product home icon go to the household segment 24 hours icon go to One Luz product electricity icon go to Luz's product catalog electricity and gas icon go to the Luz + Gas product catalog moon icon go to product One night light monkey wrench icon go to breakdowns and repairs sun icon go to Tempo Solar product clock icon go to Tempo Happy products 2 hour clock icon go to Tempo Happy 2 Hours product 24 hours icon go to product One Luz number 50 icon go to product Tempo Happy 50 Hours Medium Voltage power line See product catalog with electricity consumption from € 36,000 to € 360,000 / year High Voltage power line See catalog of products with electricity consumption more than € 360,000 / year company icon go to the business segment calendar icon go to product Tempo Happy Day Property management firms icon go to the Property management firms DarkSite icon DarkSite icon light bulb icon See product catalog with electricity consumption less than € 6,000 / year electricity and gas icon go to the Electricity+ Gas Products catalog electricity icon go to the electrical products catalog email icon email contact fax icon fax contact Low Pressure gas icon see catalog of gas products with consumption of less than € 6,000 / year High Pressure gas icon see catalog of gas products with consumption from € 6,000 to € 240,000 / year Medium Pressure gas icon see catalog of gas products with consumption of more than € 240,000 / year gas icon go to gas product catalog Enel icon go to the enel website heater icon heater maintenance service heater maintenance icon go to maintenance service OKGas Heater home icon go to the household segment pressure cooker icon pressure cooker monkey wrench icon go to breakdowns and repairs Medium Voltage power line icon see catalog of electricity products with consumption from € 6,000 to € 36,000 / year moon icon go to product One Night Light sphere icon go to personal website phone icon telephone contact rising sun icon go to Tempo Verde-Renewable Energy product solar panel icon go to photovoltaic solar energy clock icon go to Tempo Happy products black handyman icon with thumb down selected the reaction "I don't like it" little hand icon with thumb down select the reaction "I don't like it" black hand icon with thumb up selected the "like" reaction little hand icon with thumb up select the "like" reaction
Añadir otro equipo eléctrico Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Eliminar equipo eléctrico Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Aspiradora Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Horno Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Lavadora Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Lavavajillas Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Microondas Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Plancha Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Punto de recarga vehículo eléctrico Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Radiador eléctrico Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Secadora Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Split Aire Acondicionado Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Termo Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Tostador Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Vitrocerámica Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Power edit Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit. Map marker Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit.