NATURGY ENERGY GROUP SA

Their core work

Naturgy (formerly Gas Natural) is one of Spain's largest energy utilities, operating across gas distribution, power generation, and electricity supply. In H2020, they contributed real-world energy infrastructure — gas turbines, district heating networks, smart grids, and urban energy systems — as demonstration sites and operational testbeds. Their role is typically that of a large utility bringing industrial-scale assets and operational data to validate research innovations in live grid and urban environments.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Early projects (2015–2017) centered on smart city demonstrations and IoT-enabled grid optimization — GrowSmarter was a flagship lighthouse project, and inteGRIDy explored predictive control and visual analytics for distribution grids. Later projects (2017–2019) shifted toward power plant flexibility (TURBO-REFLEX on CCGT load ramping), waste heat recovery (ReUseHeat), and social energy policy (SocialWatt on energy poverty). The trajectory shows a utility moving from smart grid R&D toward operational flexibility and socially responsible energy transition.

Naturgy is broadening from pure technology demonstration toward the social and regulatory dimensions of the energy transition, particularly energy poverty and flexible generation — expect future interest in just transition and grid decarbonization projects.

How they like to work

Naturgy participates exclusively as a partner or third party — never as coordinator — which is typical for large utilities that contribute infrastructure, data, and demonstration sites rather than leading research. With 265 unique partners across 24 countries, they operate in large consortia (common for Innovation Actions and lighthouse projects). Their value to a consortium is clear: real-world scale, operational assets, and regulatory context that only a major utility can provide.

Naturgy has collaborated with 265 distinct partners across 24 countries, giving them one of the broader networks among Spanish energy companies in H2020. Their partnerships span utilities, municipalities, research institutes, and technology providers across most of the EU.

What sets them apart

Naturgy brings something most research partners cannot: a full-scale operating utility with gas distribution, power generation (including CCGT), and millions of end customers. This makes them an ideal demonstration and validation partner for any project that needs to prove technology works beyond the lab. Their combination of grid infrastructure, gas turbine assets, and urban energy networks in Spain creates a rare single-partner testbed spanning generation, distribution, and consumption.

Highlights from their portfolio

• GrowSmarter
  By far their largest H2020 investment (EUR 3.1M) — a flagship smart city lighthouse project demonstrating integrated urban energy solutions at scale.
• TURBO-REFLEX
  Directly tied to Naturgy's core gas generation business, addressing the critical challenge of making CCGT plants flexible enough to complement variable renewables.
• SocialWatt
  Signals a strategic pivot toward energy poverty and social policy — unusual for a large utility and indicative of regulatory and CSR priorities.