Our history

In March 1913, three of its owners agreed to establish the Saltos de Agua Civil Society, with the aim of harnessing the hydraulic power of the lakes and rivers in the area, which had been under study since 1907; the name was subsequently changed to Saltos de Agua del Norte. On 23 November 1919, Mr Policarpo Herrero and Mr Narciso Hernández met with representatives of the Electra Society, established in 1899, to purchase all of the Electra Society’s assets and rights for a sum of three million pesetas. The Saltos de Agua Private Civil Partnership was dissolved on 1 January 1920, upon the incorporation of the Hidroeléctrica Public Limited Company, as recorded in the minutes of the general meeting of the founding members of the former, which they attended. The capital shall be 10 million pesetas divided into 20,000 shares of 500 pesetas each, plus 5 million pesetas in 10,000 debentures of 500 pesetas each.

In 1965, production began of ‘town gas’, produced using the ‘thermal cracking’ process of light naphtha (the production of gases by heating naphtha). In 1978, a project was presented to build two urban plants for the production and supply of propane gas. Between 1979 and 1980, the relevant licences for the supply of propane gas were obtained. In 1984, both plants became operational.

On 23 July 1985, the Memorandum of Understanding for the development of piped natural gas in Spain was signed between the various regional companies. During that same year, total sales of manufactured gas amounted to 226 million therm. 1986: The gasification plan for the northern part of the country was approved, paving the way for the introduction of natural gas. 1987: In collaboration with another foreign company, the conversion of domestic installations began to adapt them for natural gas consumption. In 1989, the conversion of existing installations was completed and the north of the country began to consume natural gas. From this point onwards, propane plants were closed and a process of natural gas expansion began, thanks both to its excellent qualities and to the removal of production constraints at the facilities required in previous processes. In 1990, the first year in which all customers were supplied with natural gas, the company has made a sustained investment in expanding its infrastructure to cover all municipalities in the north.

Between 2000 and 2007, several small and medium-sized companies in the energy sector were acquired by Hidroeléctrica as part of a growth strategy based on corporate acquisitions, with the aim of becoming a major player at national level. This led to the diversification of energy production and a significant increase in the customer base. These changes were led by President Juan del Rio, who succeeded in improving the company’s position, taking it to one of the top spots in the national market.

In 2007, Hidroeléctrica, which brought together several companies under its brand, changed its name to NAVITAS (a word of Latin origin meaning ‘energy’). This change was not merely nominal, as profound changes were made to the organisation’s culture and a significant effort was made to bring together and integrate the different companies towards a common goal.

The company’s headquarters moved to an iconic building in the capital.

Navitas is a leading company in the national energy sector, increasing its turnover year on year, thanks to its commitment to society, the economy and the environment.

Navitas has evolved from an energy company into a global platform for energy transformation.

New, greener forms of generation, a focus on mobility, and the provision of services to individuals, businesses and cities are the hallmarks of this period