EDP and Paper Prime have put into operation a pioneering project for industrial heat electrification in Portugal, through the installation of a 2.7 megawatt electric boiler at the paper company's facility in Vila Velha de Ródão. This solution allows replacing part of the natural gas consumption with electricity in industrial steam production, aiming at the decarbonization of one of the most energy-intensive processes in the paper industry.
Paper Prime, part of the Socigene Group and in production since 2017, annually produces more than 33 thousand tonnes of tissue paper products for domestic and international markets, operating continuously 24 hours a day. The industrial facility resulted from an investment exceeding 30 million euros and was designed with a high degree of technological innovation, efficiency, and industrial integration.
In the first three months of operation, the new electric boiler enabled a reduction of more than 4.5 gigawatt-hours in natural gas consumption and the elimination of more than 830 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, consuming approximately 4 gigawatt-hours of electricity. During the first half of 2026, the average electricity price in the Iberian market was below the natural gas price for more than half the time, allowing the facility to operate approximately 50% of the time in fully electric mode.
The solution is made available by EDP through a service model called "Heat-as-a-Service," in which the energy company assumes the initial investment, as well as the installation, operation, and maintenance of the equipment. According to the companies' executives, the project demonstrates that it is possible to reconcile decarbonization and competitiveness, using electricity intelligently and adjusted to energy market conditions.
