Spanish investigators on Tuesday released a report showing that a power surge caused an hours-long blackout on the Iberian peninsula in late April.
Spanish Ecological Transition Minister Sara Aagesen, who is responsible for Spain’s energy policy, said that the blackout was due to a combination of technical faults and planning issues.
The power outage on April 28 lasted for more than 10 hours, plunging cities across Spain and Portugal into darkness, cutting off internet and phone connectivity, while halting public transport and disrupting businesses.
What did the report reveal?
The problem started with a “voltage surge” that began in southern Spain, which then caused small grid failures that led to a “chain reaction” of protective shutdowns.
A voltage surge can happen when there is too much voltage in a network that overloads equipment. Protective systems shut down parts of the grid in response.
Aagesen said the power system on April 28 was experiencing “insufficient voltage control capacity,” which was partly due to a programming error.
“We reached a point of no return with an uncontrollable chain reaction,” she said, adding that the widespread blackout could have been averted if steps had been taken ahead of time to absorb the excess voltage.
Aagesen said operators of large gas and nuclear power plants had acted “inappropriately” in not cushioning the power surges on the grid.
She added that grid operator Red Electrica did not plan electricity production with the “necessary caution” by making sure enough thermal power stations were activated when the voltage surge caused a chain reaction.
She added there were no indications of a cyberattack having caused the blackout.
What comes next?
April’s blackout on the Iberian Peninsula is believed to be one of the worst in Europe’s history.
Spain’s government on Tuesday said new measures are being planned to strengthen the grid and improve voltage control. The government added it also wants to further integrate the Iberian peninsula with the European grid.
The blackout had stirred debate over whether Spain’s dependence on renewable power like wind and solar was behind the grid failing, which the government has denied.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said Spain will not deviate from its energy transition plans.
Edited by: Alex Berry
