Roca Umbert Thermal Power Plant

This power station at Granollers, 30 km north-east of Barcelona, was built in 1952 to provide electricity and steam to the Roca Umbert cotton factory. The company relocated to Granollers in 1904. It eventually needed its own generating station to ensure a regular supply of power. Visitors explore the large industrial spaces to see the huge coal-fired steam boilers (later converted to oil), the steam turbines, the three AEG alternators and the circular cooling tower where steam was condensed. They find out about the importance of power to the factory and the history of the factory in Granollers. A further display reflects on changing attitudes to the consumption of energy. The city council acquired the factory after it closed in 1993 and began converting it to cultural and commercial uses. The ‘Tèrmica’ reopened as a heritage site in 2014, with the collaboration of former workers. It is part of MNACTEC, the Museums of Science and Technology of Catalunya.