Background on the Event and Key Players
On April 28, a widespread power outage plunged Spain and Portugal into darkness. The incident, according to a Spanish government report released on Tuesday, was triggered by an overvoltage phenomenon in the electrical grid that initiated a chain reaction.
Sara Aagesen, Spain’s Minister of Ecological Transition, explained during a press conference that the blackout had “multiple factors” at its origin. She highlighted that on that day, the system lacked sufficient dynamic voltage control capacity, prompting some companies to disconnect their power plants “improperly” to safeguard their installations.
Voltage, or electrical tension, is the force required to move electrical loads between two points. It’s measured in volts (V). Once the chain reaction began, only substantial voltage regulation capacity could have mitigated overvoltage and its consequences. However, the system lacked this capability.
Aagesen pointed out that this voltage regulation failure could be due to poor planning or non-compliance with operational norms by various operators. Despite these issues, Spain theoretically has a robust electrical grid capable of handling such situations.
Planning Shortcomings
Regarding planning, Aagesen mentioned that the daily voltage control capacity, programmed by Red Eléctrica Española (REE), the public operator, was at its lowest this year.
Lingering Questions and Responsibilities
Aagesen emphasized that the report is not a judgment and further investigations are needed to determine individual responsibilities.
The Spanish market regulator, along with Spanish and European authorities, is conducting an investigation. The outage affected cities in Spain and Portugal, briefly impacted southwestern France, and disrupted internet and telephone connections, leaving citizens reliant on radio for updates.
- What were the consequences of the power outage? The blackout abruptly stopped trains, forced school and business closures, and prevented card payments at remaining open establishments.
- What actions were taken by the Spanish government? President Pedro Sánchez announced the formation of an investigation commission led by the Ministry of Ecological Transition. Aagesen presented the commission’s findings and urged citizens not to speculate until results were known.
- Was the outage linked to the government’s renewable energy policy? Opposition parties criticized the government’s plan to phase out nuclear energy and replace it with renewables, arguing that it made Spain more vulnerable to blackouts. However, the government insists there’s no evidence linking excessive renewable energy or lack of nuclear power plants to the crisis.
- Was a cyberattack considered as a cause? Although initially suspected, a cyberattack was ruled out by Aagesen. Nevertheless, she acknowledged vulnerabilities and shortcomings in Spain’s electrical grid security, for which corrective measures will be proposed.
The Spanish government, amidst a corruption scandal involving people close to President Sánchez, expedited the publication of the report to address public concerns.
