Madrid: Spain’s government has identified a surge in voltage as the culprit behind the massive power outage in April that disrupted services across Spain and Portugal. The blackout affected businesses, internet connectivity, transit systems, and other critical infrastructures, triggering a chain reaction across the grid.
According to France24.com, a government report released on Tuesday confirmed that the power failure was due to “overvoltage” on the grid, which set off a chain reaction. Ecological Transition Minister Sara Aagesen explained that the system lacked sufficient voltage control capacity on that day, partly due to a programming flaw. She emphasized that Spain’s grid is theoretically designed to withstand such incidents, but misjudgements led to an uncontrollable situation.
Minister Aagesen clarified that the report is an analysis rather than a trial, aiming to uncover the causes of the outage and propose recommendations. The April 28 blackout cut internet and telephone services, halted trains, and caused widespread disruption, affecting cities in Spain, Portugal, and even southwestern France.
Following the incident, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez initiated an inquiry commission led by the ecological transition ministry to investigate the causes without speculating prematurely. Despite a corruption scandal involving a close aide, the government expedited the inquiry, which met three times since Friday to finalize the report.
The investigation initially considered several hypotheses, such as a cyberattack or issues due to excess renewable energy production. However, these were dismissed as vulnerabilities and deficiencies in Spain’s grid security systems were identified instead. The opposition criticized the government’s phase-out of nuclear energy and reliance on renewables, but the report found no evidence linking these factors to the blackout.
The report recommends stronger supervision and compliance measures for operators, increasing Spain’s electrical capacity, and enhancing electricity connections with neighboring countries. The blackout highlighted the limited interconnections between Spain and Portugal, with assistance from France and Morocco playing a crucial role in restoring power. In response, the European Investment Bank announced 1.6 billion euros in funding for a major electricity interconnection between France and Spain, aiming to nearly double the power exchange capacity.