Spain’s energy minister, Sara Aagesen, revealed that an abrupt power loss at a substation in Granada, followed by subsequent failures in Badajoz and Seville, triggered a widespread blackout across Spain and Portugal on April 28. This unprecedented outage resulted in a 2.2 gigawatt electricity generation loss, causing a series of grid disconnections. Although several investigations are underway, this marks the first time Spanish authorities have identified a specific origin for the blackout. Aagesen noted that determining the exact cause will require analyzing millions of data points and may not yield simple answers. Grid operator REE confirmed no incidents occurred on its main transmission grid prior to the blackout, suggesting the power loss stemmed from issues outside its network, possibly at generation plants or smaller grids not managed by REE. The government is also examining reports of volatility in the days leading up to the blackout and investigating excessive voltage as a potential cause. Investigators have ruled out cyberattacks, supply-demand imbalances, or insufficient grid capacity. Aagesen dismissed claims that the government ignored expert warnings about a possible blackout, stating no alerts were received. Spain’s increasing reliance on renewable energy and its plan to phase out nuclear energy by 2035 have come under scrutiny. Critics argue that reduced “grid inertia” due to fewer nuclear and fossil fuel sources may have contributed to the outage. Aagesen defended the government’s energy policy, emphasizing that renewables lower costs and enhance energy autonomy. She indicated openness to extending the lifespan of nuclear plants if operators can ensure safety and reasonable consumer prices.
— new from Reuters
