Andorra's FEDA Advances Demand Response and Remote Reservoir Tech for Grid Stability

FEDA, Andorra's electricity distributor, is advancing digital innovations to manage rising power demands and ensure grid stability amid the country's energy transition.

The company's Innovation Department, led by Daniel Fernández, is focusing on "flexibility" or demand response—a system that allows facilities to temporarily adjust power usage, such as reducing or shifting consumption for short periods like 30 minutes to two hours. In exchange, participants receive agreed compensation. This approach aims to smooth peak winter loads driven by increasing electric vehicle use, tourist traffic, and a shift from diesel heating to heat pumps and radiators.

FEDA analyses consumption profiles and equipment in client facilities to identify minimal-disruption opportunities, such as rescheduling processes during high network stress or leveraging thermal inertia in heating and cooling systems. By forecasting scenarios, the initiative helps avoid network overloads and high market prices affecting imported energy, without compromising service reliability. Officials emphasise that it supports Andorra's electrification push and carbon neutrality goal by 2030, complementing network expansions and long-term fixed-price energy contracts.

In parallel, FEDA has piloted remote control systems for high-altitude reservoir gates, including at Ràmio dam and Vall del Riu lake. These address challenges in real-time water flow management for ecological river maintenance. Reliable power for the systems comes from renewables—solar panels or micro-hydro turbines paired with batteries—which also supply on-site climate stations for water level monitoring.

The projects are now in testing, enabling remote gate operations, precise ecological flow control, and sustainable resource oversight. FEDA views these efforts as key to preempting future grid tensions from decarbonisation.