When Naturgy needed a faster way to track losses across its distribution network in central and northwest Spain, the utility turned to Unatec, its long-time software partner. Together we built a monitoring platform that makes energy discrepancies visible, actionable, and easy to explain.
Legacy spreadsheets and basic dashboards could not provide the depth, speed, or spatial awareness Naturgy needed. The teams required an intelligent, scalable tool that could connect immediate operational actions with the bigger picture of the grid.
The result is a powerful web-based platform that maps, measures, and explains where and why energy is lost. Whether the issue stems from suspected fraud, technical faults, or seasonal fluctuation, Naturgy’s technicians now have the context they need to act quickly.
"You can’t fight energy fraud with spreadsheets," says Rosa Moya Carreras, project manager and team lead at Unatec. "Our goal was to give Naturgy a tool that detects issues and helps teams understand the story behind them."
Every building on the network receives power from a local transformer. If the difference between the energy injected and the energy billed exceeds the normal range, something is wrong. With Unatec’s platform, those discrepancies become immediately visible, cutting investigation time from weeks to days.
How did we do it?
At the heart of the solution is a color-coded interactive map that turns complex grid data into intuitive insight. Purple zones highlight abnormally high losses, while green and yellow areas signal normal operating conditions.
"Some loss is always expected," Moya Carreras explains. "Cables heat up, measurements aren’t perfect, and seasonal patterns shift. But when values fall far outside the norm, the system flags them instantly."
Zooming in reveals transformer-level detail: percentage of loss, total kWh lost, monthly breakdowns, and the status of each meter reading. That level of transparency guides targeted inspections, planned maintenance, and better coordination with commercial teams.
"Our platform helps teams pinpoint whether the cause is technical, operational, or fraudulent," adds Moya Carreras. "That focus makes every campaign more effective."
The architecture ingests data from multiple suppliers and metering systems, normalizes it, and feeds it to an analytics engine powering both the map and the alerting workflow. Fast deployments, role-based access, and seamless updates make it simple to extend the platform to new distribution zones.
Smarter alerts and strategic campaigns
To help teams prioritize, the platform includes a customizable alert system. Users can set thresholds by region or distribution center. When losses cross those thresholds, the alert ties directly into Naturgy’s anti-fraud operations.
- Launch targeted inspection campaigns for high-risk cities or regions.
- Assign technicians based on live transformer data.
- Track progress and findings without leaving the platform.
"In many cases, we’ve helped Naturgy reduce investigations from weeks to days," says Moya Carreras. "That means less revenue lost and lower operating costs. This tool pays for itself quickly."
Key benefits for Naturgy
The platform replaces a manual, fragmented process with a clear, data-driven workflow:
- Operational clarity: visibility from regional trends down to each transformer.
- Improved accuracy: historical data helps separate real anomalies from noise.
- Faster response: alerts and dashboards ensure critical issues aren’t missed.
- Scalable use: works across large territories and integrates multiple data sources.
Beyond fraud detection, the tool helps Naturgy’s operational teams diagnose potential issues more efficiently, prioritize maintenance, and improve network reliability. Because it is a configurable core platform—not a one-off build—it can be adapted for other utilities in Spain and abroad with minimal customization.
"It’s about giving energy companies control, so they can reduce loss, optimize performance, and make better decisions backed by actionable data," Moya Carreras concludes.
