In 1959, FECSA brought into service the Badalona I thermal power plant on the banks of the Besòs river. The facility was built to cater to the sharp rise in demand for electricity across the Barcelona metropolitan area, driven by industrialisation and rapid population growth. Originally conceived as a reserve power plant to cover peaks in demand, it soon became a permanent part of the Catalan electricity system. Badalona I marked the beginning of a new phase in the expansion of thermal power generation along the coast, complementing existing hydroelectric production plants and consolidating the strategic role of the Besòs area in the region’s energy supply.