News
Utonomy signs contract with REN Portgás
Utonomy, the intelligent gas grid specialist, is delighted to announce the signing of its first contract with REN Portgás, the Portuguese gas distribution network operator owned by REN – Redes Energeticas Nacionais, and a major distributor with over 25% of total gas customers in Portugal. Following the signing in April 2026, Utonomy will very soon install its intelligent control solution on regulators including those manufactured by Oxford Flow, at two sites close to Porto.
Utonomy’s UtonomyOne solution, using the SB750 actuators suitable for medium-pressure networks, will be deployed in a retrofit capacity on pressure regulators including those manufactured by Oxford Flow at network pressure reducing stations (PRSs), with pressure currently set at 3.7 bar, and a low point of 1.5 bar at the network extremities.
The objectives of the project are twofold:
• Digitalisation & automation: enable remote monitoring and control of pressure reduction stations.
• Biomethane integration: allow REN Portgas to gain knowledge of the pressure control solution and to run manually-simulated biomethane injection scenarios, with a view to use it for future injection management.
The six-month pilot project will comprise technological validation of UtonomyOne, while also assessing the retrofit potential of remote control and continuous monitoring of pressure reduction stations using a variety of regulator types, and the automation of tasks currently performed manually. REN Portgas also wishes to run manually-simulated biomethane injection scenarios, with a view to using UtonomyOne for future green gas injection management. Based on the results of the pilot, REN Portgas will gain valuable operational experience with the solution, assessing its performance, scalability, and suitability for wider deployment. This pilot will enable REN Portgas to build maturity in smart regulation and evaluate its progressive rollout across the broader network.
Digitalisation & biomethane injection
Gas networks are under increasing pressure to modernise their networks, in order to make them both environmentally sustainable and economically efficient. Technologies such as the UtonomyOne solution provide a straightforward, cost-effective solution to achieve a higher level of performance on any gas grid, using its retrofit facility.
Alison Ireland, Head of International Relations at Utonomy, said:
“We are very pleased to have reached agreement and made a network digitalisation trial plan with REN Portgas, and we are happy to have built a highly positive partnership between our two companies. We hope to become a key partner for REN Portgas as they harness innovation to further decarbonise their gas network.”
Diogo Boldt Sousa, Responsible for Innovation at REN Portgas, said:
“REN Portgas has been actively assessing and preparing its infrastructure for digitalisation and the integration of renewable gases. We are pleased to welcome Utonomy to our portfolio of partners, as we believe its technology will play a key role in addressing the challenges of the energy transition and supporting the development of a smarter, more resilient gas network.”
The Utonomy suite of actuators is compatible with a wide range of regulators with a wide range of outlet pressures; they are ATEX Zone 0 certified, and suitable for new and retrofit installations across Europe.
About Utonomy
Established in 2015, Utonomy is a UK-based company that uses patented hardware and machine-learning technology to optimise pressure in the gas network. Its primary aims are to reduce emissions of methane from the network, maximise biomethane injection into the network, and help facilitate the repurposing of the network for low-carbon forms of gas. https://utonomy.co.uk
About REN Portgas
REN Portgas Distribuicao is a public-service gas distribution company, owned by the Portuguese TSO, REN, focusing its ability on the development and operation of the gas distribution network in 29 municipalities of three districts (Porto, Braga and Viana do Castelo), on the north coastal region of Portugal. The grid has more than 6,600km, connecting more than 410,000 active consumers, supplying circa 10% of the natural gas consumption in Portugal.
For more information and interviews, please contact: Alison Ireland, Head of Marketing at alison.ireland@utonomy.co.uk