PETRONOR and TECNALIA join forces to lead the digital transformation at the refinery

This agreement has been signed after having carried out several joint projects and following the visit of the President of REPSOL, Antonio Brufau, to the research and technological development centre last Thursday

Bilbao, 20th June 2018. PETRONOR and TECNALIA consolidate their commitment to the digital transformation at the refinery through a collaboration agreement that will integrate advanced energy services at PETRONOR to boost it as a global energy operator. This agreement will enable PETRONOR to lead innovation in its sector and TECNALIA will move forward in its mission to turn technology into GDP through the creation of business opportunities in the companies.

The signing of this agreement, which has an initial duration of three years, took place within the framework of last week's visit by the President of REPSOL, Antonio Brufau, to the TECNALIA research and technological development centre on the Bizkaia Science and Technology Park to discover in detail the technological solutions they TECNALIA is developing and launching on the market with companies in the field of the digitalisation of the energy sector.

This agreement has been signed after having carried out several joint projects and to accelerate the transformation, they have strengthened their collaboration, moving towards an open innovation model. For the development of this joint research, both entities will share and increase their skills related to the digital technologies for the transformation of the energy sector, involving the use of technologies related to data analysis, the use of artificial intelligence or the use of virtual reality, augmented reality and the digital twin to improve the performance of the processes. Digital solutions that are transforming production in the energy sector, including robotics may also be implemented.

They will work on the most advanced technologies in fields such as advanced materials, energy efficiency or biofuels, in order to achieve greater efficiency in the refining plant's processes.

Finally, they will address the necessary challenges to promote PETRONOR as a global energy agent, developing technologies in the field of distributed generation, electrification of transport, integration of distributed storage and the management of energy demand.

The agreement will be introduced through a joint technological development Strategic Plan with research lines related to Reliability and Maintenance, Engineering and Development, Production, Safety, Environment and Quality and New technology-based Businesses. 

ABOUT PETRONOR

PETRONOR is a company that represents the industrial forefront of the oil sector and champions the spirit of tradition and proximity to the environment in which it is located and to which it owes its production strength. With a production potential of 11 million t/year, it is the largest refinery in Spain and exports just over a third of its production. Its commitment to innovation is one of the keys to becoming a reference energy company. www.petronor.eus 

ABOUT TECNALIA

TECNALIA is a leading Research and Technological Development Centre in Europe, with 1,400 experts representing 30 different nationalities, focusing on transforming technology into GDP to improve people's quality of life, by creating business opportunities for companies. www.tecnalia.com