A power surge that caused a widespread blackout in Spain and Portugal was the most severe in Europe in the last 20 years, and the first of its kind, a report has found.
Damian Cortinas, president of the association of electricity grid operators Entso-e, stated that the incident marked the first known blackout resulting from overvoltage, a scenario where excessive electrical voltage disrupts the network.
April's outage, which caused significant disruptions for nearly a day, plunged various regions into darkness, cutting off internet and telephone services while halting transportation links.
The blackout significantly affected areas in both countries and briefly disrupted southwestern France. The report released on Friday detailed the state of the power systems on the day of the outage and outlined the events leading to it.
A series of cascading overvoltages were identified as the primary cause of the incident. These overvoltages can arise from electrical supply surges, often due to oversupply or lightning strikes, particularly when protective equipment is inadequate.
Although automatic defense mechanisms were activated, they could not prevent the complete shutdown of the power system. The Spanish government has initiated several investigations into the blackout's causes. They believe the findings of the Entso-e align with theirs, attributing faults to both the national grid operator Red Eléctrica and private electricity companies.
Aagesen, the minister for ecological transition, mentioned that their investigation concluded in June, holding these entities responsible. Both sides, however, maintain they are not at fault, with accusations directed towards the failure of existing power plants to maintain proper voltage levels.
The Entso-e's report noted difficulties in gathering complete, high-quality data for the investigation and promised a more comprehensive final report in early next year.
This blackout has sparked wider discussions about Spain's energy model amid political tensions, particularly regarding its reliance on renewable energy sources. The government faced criticism from the opposition for potentially exacerbating the blackout's severity through its energy policy.
Consequently, the Spanish Open Tennis tournament was interrupted, and emergency protocols were initiated in hospitals due to the power loss. The disruption left numerous buildings in darkness, caused failures in mobile networks, and resulted in significant public discontent.
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