Renewable energy not to blame for Spain's massive blackout, according to grid; cause remains unspecified at this time.
Spain's power grid operator has denied that solar energy was the cause of the 2021 country's worst blackout as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez faces mounting pressure to explain what went wrong.
Red Electrica de Espana (REE) revealed on Wednesday that the root of the outage stemmed from two separate incidents involving loss of generation in substations in southwestern Spain. However, the exact locations of these incidents are yet to be identified. REE emphasized that it's premature to assign blame, as thorough investigations are still needed.
REE's head, Beatriz Corredor, former Socialist minister, spoke to Cadena SER radio and disputed claims that renewable energy was to blame for the blackout. She stated, "These technologies are now stable, and they have systems that allow them to function like conventional generation systems without any safety issues." Corredor also expressed no intentions of resigning.
Life on the Iberian Peninsula started to return to normal following a power outage that haltered trains, shut airports, and trapped people in lifts in both Spain and Portugal on Monday.
Just before the system failed, Spain's solar energy accounted for 53 percent of electricity production, wind for nearly 11 percent, nuclear and gas for 15 percent, according to REE data.
Political opponents criticized Sanchez for taking too long to explain the blackout, insinuating cover-ups following the left-wing coalition government's investments in expanding the renewable energy sector.
Miguel Tellado, a parliamentary spokesperson for the opposition conservative People's Party, pointed the finger at REE, stating, "Since REE has ruled out the possibility of a cyberattack, we can only point to the malfunctioning of REE, which has state investment and therefore its leaders are appointed by the government."
Tellado advocated for an independent investigation to be conducted by Spain's parliament rather than the government probe announced by Sanchez. The prime minister hasn't ruled out a cyberattack, although this has been dismissed by REE.
Antonio Turiel, an energy expert at the state-owned Spanish National Research Council, expressed concerns about the grid's stability on Onda Vasca radio station. He suggested that the integration of renewable systems was haphazard and lacked the necessary stabilization systems. Furthermore, he highlighted unplanned vulnerabilities in the network.
The government has forecast private and public investment of some 52 billion euros ($59bn) through 2030 to upgrade the power grid to handle the surge in demand from data centers and electric vehicles.
- Despite the denial by Spain's power grid operator, there are political criticisms against Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, suggesting cover-ups following the investments in expanding the renewable energy sector.
- Miguel Tellado, a parliamentary spokesperson for the opposition conservative People's Party, has questioned the reliability of REE, stating that the malfunctioning of REE, being a state-invested entity, may be the cause of the blackout.
- Tellado has proposed an independent investigation by Spain's parliament, advocating against a government probe announced by Sanchez.
- Antonio Turiel, an energy expert at the state-owned Spanish National Research Council, expressed concerns about the grid's stability, suggesting that the integration of renewable systems lacked necessary stabilization systems and unplanned vulnerabilities in the network.
- The incident has brought renewed focus on the General News front, as stakeholders in the renewable-energy and finance industries watch closely for updates and potential implications.
- As Spain looks to stabilize its power grid and ensure its future resilience, investments of approximately 52 billion euros ($59bn) are forecasted through 2030, aimed at upgrading the power grid to handle increased demand from data centers and electric vehicles.
