Yesterday, at approximately 12:30 PM local time, a sudden and catastrophic event occurred on a Spanish power line.
Within just five seconds, the Iberian network experienced a loss of 15 GW of power, roughly 60% of the usual consumer demand.
This abrupt blackout paralyzed transport networks, rendered cash machines inoperative, disabled traffic lights, and left thousands of computers out of commission.
The issue extended into Portugal and France.
The decrease in power generation exceeded the capacity that electrical systems can manage, resulting in the Spanish grid disconnecting from the European grid.
This failure triggered a collapse, causing voltage losses at supply points in both the Spanish and Portuguese electrical systems, as reported by grid operator Red Eléctrica.
Authorities are committed to identifying the root cause of the incident.
The Spanish meat industry estimates potential losses of up to €190 million as refrigeration systems failed.
Eduardo Prieto, the operations director for Red Eléctrica, confirmed there is no evidence suggesting a cyber attack.
“We have determined that there was no unauthorized access to our electricity grid control system that could have led to this incident,” Mr. Prieto stated.
Nonetheless, the country’s High Court announced it would investigate whether the grid had been a target of terrorist activity.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has not dismissed any potential causes at this juncture.
Europe’s energy providers are highly interconnected, with power being exchanged across the continent based on demand and generation.
Spain and Portugal maintain a network of interconnectors with France; however, both regions have been negotiating for years to expand this network.
Extreme weather events such as storms, lightning, or high winds are the most common triggers for unplanned large-scale power outages.
Failures in power stations, distribution lines, substations, or other elements of the electricity transmission system can also lead to significant outages.
Individuals queued to withdraw cash at ATMs as credit card transactions were unavailable.
Initial reports from Spain’s energy network suggest that unusual temperatures in one section of the grid might have caused what are referred to as “induced atmospheric vibrations.”
A surge in power resulting from such “oscillations” can lead to one line “tripping.”
If this occurs, the current flowing through the line gets divided and redirected into two neighboring lines.
Those lines then suddenly carry more electricity than usual, and the currents are again divided among more adjacent lines, leading to a build-up of excess power.
This creates a cascading effect that can ripple through the region and across borders.
“What occurs in Spain can influence other countries, and vice versa,” noted a senior EU official.
On June 21, 2024, two separate incidents affected power lines in the Balkans, resulting in three-hour outages across Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Albania.
After an investigation, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity determined that the outages resulted from vegetation encroaching on power lines.
Remarkably, these incidents occurred merely 15 minutes apart: one on an overhead line near Podgorica in Montenegro, and the other on a line connecting Greece and Albania.
Due to exceptionally high temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius that month, vegetation had grown beyond the level at which it should have been pruned.
The resulting investigation led to new recommendations for proper maintenance of vegetation near power lines.
A woman illuminates her path with her phone’s flashlight while walking her dog in total darkness.
Initial reports indicate that a dangerous cascade swept through the Iberian energy network.
Red Eléctrica mentioned there was “strong oscillation in power flow,” resulting in “a very significant loss of generation.”
As one of Europe’s largest producers of renewable energy, the recent shutdown has ignited discussions regarding whether the instabilities from solar or wind energy could have made the power systems more susceptible to outages.
Data from Red Eléctrica indicated that solar photovoltaic (PV) energy was supplying nearly 59% of Spain’s electricity at the time of the blackout, with wind power contributing almost 12%.
Read more: EU says ‘lessons’ will be learned from Spain-Portugal blackout
Energy systems can be vulnerable when volatile renewable sources like wind and solar are mixed with traditional sources such as gas and nuclear plants, according to Victor Becerra, a professor of power systems engineering at the University of Portsmouth.
“Regardless of the cause, a significant failure in one area can put unexpected pressure on neighboring systems, leading to protective shutdowns to prevent additional damage,” he told Reuters.
The Spanish Prime Minister has excluded renewable energy as the cause of the incident, while the European Commission has been cautious in placing blame.
Eduardo Prieto noted it is “very possible” that solar energy production is related to the outage, as per Spanish media reports.
In any case, the renewable energy transition means national grid operators and EU authorities need to adapt.
“We must investigate what caused this incident,” asserts an EU official.
“We’re gaining experience with new systems as the energy transition continues. These systems differ significantly from previous iterations, necessitating different management approaches.”
EU officials have stated that early evidence suggests whatever transpired on the Spanish grid caused both the interconnector with France and local lines to “trip,” exacerbating the issue across the Iberian Peninsula.
When such an outage occurs, the European network is triggered to implement an emergency response to methodically restore power in a carefully coordinated manner.
During this incident, Spain relied on interconnectors with France and Morocco, along with hydroelectric power for its resilience, to gradually reintegrate energy into the system.
“Typically, you start powering small areas, called islands, and then link them together until the entire system is restored,” explained an EU official.
According to EU regulations, two investigations are now mandated to take place.
After notifying the Commission about the emergency, Spain is required to submit a report within three months detailing the cause, impacts, and remedial measures implemented.
Simultaneously, a technical report will be conducted by a panel of experts. This investigation will be led by the Transmission System Operators of a member state not impacted by the outage, with participation from the TSOs of Spain, France, and Portugal, as well as other interested operators.
Once both reports are completed, the European Commission may offer recommendations on any lessons learned and potential changes to the operational rules of the European network.
Concerns have been raised that Spain and France have delayed efforts to enhance the number of interconnectors between the Iberian Peninsula and the broader European energy landscape.
The EU’s High-Level Group on Interconnections for South-West Europe, comprising officials from France, Spain, Portugal, and neighboring TSOs, has been working to promote the construction of new interconnectors.
The interconnection capacity between France and Spain was doubled following the completion of the Santa-Llogaia-Baixas electricity line in 2015, while a transformer in Arkale, Spain, in 2017 maximized the line’s capacity during the winter season of that year.
Additional interconnectors are also underway, including one between Spain and Portugal, anticipated to be completed by autumn, and the Biscay Bay electricity interconnection, which is under construction and expected to become operational by 2028.
Upon completion, these will boost the capacity between France and Spain to 5000 MW.
There are plans for two further interconnectors between the Pamplona area in Spain and Cantegrit in France, along with another between Marsillon in France and the Aragón region.
“A more interconnected system within the EU benefits all parties involved, promoting market integration and ensuring security of supply,” stated the official.
