In 1913, the first thermal power plant at the mouth of the Besòs river came into service. The project had been commissioned by Energía Eléctrica de Cataluña to supply a rapidly industrialising Barcelona with electricity. Designed by Eduard Ferrés and built from reinforced concrete made using the Hennebique system, the plant incorporated turbo-alternators that generated electricity at 11 kV, with voltage subsequently stepped up to 80 kV for transmission. It was connected to the Cabdella hydroelectric plant through Catalonia’s first high-voltage transmission line, establishing a fully integrated hydroelectric and thermal power system. After suffering damage during the Spanish Civil War, and a bombing raid in 1938, the plant was later acquired by Fuerzas Eléctricas de Cataluña (FECSA) and decommissioned in 1954, bringing the first chapter of electricity generation in the Besòs area to a close