Spain has experienced several power outages ahead of a massive blackout, and industry representatives have repeatedly warned of grid instability.
Reuters writes about this.
In particular, on April 22, a power outage disrupted railway signals and stopped at least 10 high-speed trains near Madrid. Transport Minister Oscar Puente said that excessive voltage in the power grid caused the outage to protect substations.
On the same day, Repsolʼs oil refinery in Cartagena faced disruptions due to power supply problems.
According to Antonio Turiel, a lead researcher at the Spanish National Research Council, the network had experienced significant instability in the days leading up to the outage.
Industry experts say that regardless of the cause, the massive power outage and previous smaller incidents indicate that Spainʼs power grid is facing challenges amid a boom in renewable energy.
An energy surplus can disrupt power grids just as much as a deficit, and grid operators must maintain a balance. At the same time, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the head of grid operator REE Beatriz Corredor have said that record levels of renewable energy are not the cause of the blackouts.
What happened
A massive power outage hit Spain and Portugal on the afternoon of April 28. Rail services were disrupted, hundreds of flights were cancelled, shops and hospitals were closed. Internet traffic in both countries fell sharply, by 90% in Portugal and 80% in Spain.
Life came to a standstill for a few hours: cash replaced card payments, police used hand signals to direct traffic, and shops, supermarkets and restaurants closed. Madrid firefighters rescued people from elevators 174 times on Monday, and some shoppers stocked up on non-perishable goods.
At the same time, the worst-case scenarios were avoided: Spainʼs nuclear facilities operated safely, and hospitals switched to backup generators.
As of the morning of April 29, electricity supply in Spain and Portugal has been almost fully restored.
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