Massive Power Outage Sweeps Spain and Portugal, ENTSO-E Calls It Most Serious in 20 Years
On April 28, a severe power outage swept across Spain and Portugal, leaving millions without electricity. The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) has since labelled it the most serious incident in over 20 years. A final report detailing causes and recommendations is expected.
The blackout began at 12:32 PM, with a sudden loss of 2.5 gigawatts (GW) of renewable generation in Spain in less than 20 seconds. Red Eléctrica, Spain's transmission system operator, blamed power plants obliged to participate in voltage control. Factors contributing to the incident included the rapid disconnection of renewable installations, a sharp increase in tension, local oscillations, and cuts in interconnections with Morocco and France. This sequence of events led to a 'voltage surge cascade', starting in southern Spain and spreading northwards.
The Association of Electric Energy Companies (Aelec) attributed the failure to a control incident. The incident caused significant disruption, with the blackout affecting most of the Iberian Peninsula, except for the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla. Red Eléctrica confirmed these events and remains cooperative with the European panel of experts investigating the matter.
The ENTSO-E report has been positively received by Sara Aagesen, Spain's Minister of Ecological Transition. An expert panel will publish a final report with detailed findings and recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of robust and reliable power grid management.
