Turbogás – Tapada do Outeiro Power Plant, Portugal

The power plant at Tapada do Outeiro, run by the company Turbogás – Produtora Energética, S. A., responsible for the management of the contract for the purchase of natural gas from Transgás (GSA – Gas Supply Agreement), of the contract for the sale of energy to REN (PPA – Power Purchase Agreement), and the operation and maintenance contract with Portugen Energia, S. A. (O&M – Operation & Maintenance), is located in the Municipality of Gondomar, and represented, as it still does, a new era in the production of electrical energy in Portugal.

This project, which uses combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) technology, resulted in the expansion of the national energy sector and guaranteed the success of the investment made for the introduction into Portugal of natural gas from Algeria. For 10 years, it has counted on Securitas for Specialised Guarding at the gate and for internal and external patrols. In order to get a better idea of the importance of this project, we spoke with Eng. António Magalhães and Dr. Abel Almeida.

History, Project and Environmental Policy

“The Tapada do Outeiro Power Plant was constructed on the basis of a construction contract drawn up by a consortium made up of the German companies Siemens AG and Koch Transporttechnik GmbH, in conjunction with the Portuguese companies Siemens, S. A. and Koch de Portugal, Lda. The Tapada do Outeiro project was started in 1994, making the entry of natural gas into Portugal feasible. The country, wishing to bring in natural gas, had to guarantee that there was a large consumer, so that, joining this objective with the need to introduce new technologies for the production of electrical energy, opted for the construction of the combined cycle power plant at Tapada do Outeiro, which is the first project of its kind on the Iberian Peninsula”, mentioned António Magalhães, power plant Director.

"Managing the Best Energy Producing Power Plant in the World”

“The mission of Portugen Energia is to run the best energy producing power plant in the world and, after 10 years of operation, we all feel that this is a power plant that compares with the best in the world. We are at the level of the best power plants, we have opted for the best labour, environmental, and civic practices and our results are on the level with the best power plants in the International Power Group, of which we are a member, and which has thermal power plants all around the world”, said António Magalhães.

Experience and Ability to Respond are Essential in Security

We then spoke with Dr. Abel Almeida, Manager of the Financial and Purchasing Team, about the provision of Specialised Guarding services, which include the gate and the interior and exterior patrols.

“When the power plant went into operation, in 1998/99, Turbogás consulted the market to award the security contract. Turbogás found that the market was divided into large companies and small companies. The small companies presented very low prices, which did not offer, at first sight, the response capacity in accordance with our requisites. Thus, the option was to choose a company with significantly large clients in its portfolio. We were already familiar with the experience of Securitas, since they had been with us from the beginning of the project, having been chosen by the construction consortium that built the power plant. We decided to retain the services of Securitas.”

Value Added with the Specialised Guarding Service

“It was a good choice. Securitas is backed by a large organisation that corresponds to unforeseen situations (e.g.: extra services when the power plant is shut down) and offers us a good response capacity. We consider our partnership of 10 years to have been a good option, the proof being that the contract has already been renewed 3 times. Securitas continues to do a good job. At such a high level of demand, we require that Guards have a security passport, which fits into our security policy, besides bringing added value to the jobs of the Guards themselves (security and safety). Another positive fact is the low turnover of Guards at our site,” said Dr. Abel Almeida.

 

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