On April 28, a power outage struck the Iberian Peninsula, affecting millions in Spain, Portugal, Andorra and parts of France. The outage was caused by multiple disturbances and lasted for more than 10 hours, marking it as one of the worst in recent years, according to the BBC.
According to CNN, Spain’s electrical grid was operating normally until 12:33 p.m., when it suffered multiple disturbances. Eduardo Prieto, the director of services for the grid operator Red Eléctrica, said the grid recovered after the initial shock. However, less than 1.5 seconds later, a second disturbance caused a widespread impact, reaching the connection lines in France. Within a few seconds, Spain lost 15 gigawatts of energy in its supply, equivalent to around 60% of what the country was using, causing the whole grid to collapse.
According to AP News, the electrical grid showed signs of instability three hours before the blackout. Whisker Labs CEO Bob Marshall said small fluctuations in voltage were present in Madrid’s power quality sensors. His data shows oscillations whose frequency and magnitude increased until the grid collapsed. The outage lasted an average of ten hours in most areas, but some areas in Spain lacked power for up to 23 hours after the initial outage. It was not until 11:15 p.m. on April 29 that Spain’s electricity grid was restored. CNN confirmed the death of at least eight individuals, most of which were due to carbon monoxide poisoning after the use of electric generators.
Transportation systems were affected the most — flights were canceled across airports in Spain and Portugal, whose major cities hold some of the busiest airports in the European Union. The BBC reports that 185 flights departing airports in Portugal were canceled on April 28. According to CNN, police closed down local subway systems and roads, forcing officers to direct traffic with hand signals.
In order to avoid another massive power outage by trying to turn systems on at the same time, energy restoration efforts focused on restoring hydroelectric and gas plants. According to BBC News, Red Eléctrica said the key was “gradually re-energising the transmission grid as the generating units are connected.”
Since these plants were able to produce electricity quickly, they were crucial in the reintroduction of power to these European countries. The interconnectedness of electric grids means if energy in one area is lost, this disruption can spread quickly and far in a domino-like effect. Thus, even parts of Andorra and Southern France experienced brief power outages, impacting traffic lights, metro lines and internet accessibility in regions north of the Iberian Peninsula.
As of May 17, it is still unclear what caused the blackout in Spain and Portugal. Blackouts are usually caused by severe weather conditions or natural disasters, but the blackout occurred on a warm and sunny day in Spain, CNN said. Thus, speculations of a possible cyber-attack have already risen. While authorities in Spain and Portugal have downplayed this theory, the Spanish High Court announced an investigation to establish whether the incident could have been a crime of terrorism.
Additionally, the blackout has drawn attention to Spain and Portugal’s renewable energy usage. Almost 60% of Spain’s energy comes from wind, solar and hydropower, while over half of Portugal’s is also generated from renewable sources. People have started to blame the nations’ reliance on renewable energy for the devastating impacts of the blackout, claiming that it may have made the energy grid system more vulnerable to power outages, while coal and gas sources are more stable during energy fluctuations.
To prevent further power outages, according to BBC News, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that an investigative commission had been set up to research the cause behind this event, led by Spain’s Ministry of Ecological Transition, the Spanish National Cybersecurity Institute, the National Cryptology Centre and the National Competition Market Commission.
While power has returned to the streets of Spain and Portugal, the bigger question of what caused the blackout and how to prevent such events in the future still stands.
