An unexpected power failure in southern Spain set off a chain reaction that left the Iberian Peninsula in darkness, with authorities still searching for answers.
An abrupt loss of power generation at a substation in Granada, followed by additional failures seconds later in Badajoz and Seville, caused a massive blackout across Spain and Portugal on 28 April, Spain’s Energy Minister Sara Aagesen told lawmakers on Wednesday.
The cascading failures resulted in a 2.2-gigawatt loss of electricity generation, which triggered multiple grid disconnections. Aagesen noted that while the root cause of the incidents remains unclear, this is the first time Spanish authorities have publicly identified the origin of the blackout.
“We are analysing millions of pieces of data. We also continue to make progress in identifying where these generation losses occurred and we already know that they started in Granada, Badajoz and Seville,” she said.
Grid operator REE stated that Spain’s main transmission network showed no faults on the day of the incident and suggested the problem may have originated outside the main grid—potentially at generation plants or smaller local grids.
The investigation is also considering high voltage fluctuations observed in the days preceding the outage as a possible factor. However, Aagesen ruled out cyberattacks, grid capacity issues, or imbalances in supply and demand.
She also rejected claims by opposition lawmakers that the government had ignored expert warnings. “There was no alert, no warning,” she asserted.
In the aftermath, scrutiny has fallen on Spain’s increasing reliance on renewable energy and its strategy to phase out nuclear power by 2035. Critics argue that the reduced share of nuclear and fossil fuel sources may have weakened grid stability due to a lack of "grid inertia."
Aagesen defended the current energy mix, stating that renewables have brought down consumer costs and improved energy independence amid geopolitical uncertainty. Spain continues to use the same level of renewables as before the blackout.
She left the door open to extending the life of nuclear power plants, provided that safety, affordability, and supply security could be ensured.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that the most difficult situation on the front line remains the eastern city of Pokrovsk, wh...
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is conducting inspections in Iran but has not visited the three sites that were bombed by the United Sta...
Azerbaijan is eyeing China as a key tourism market, following President Ilham Aliyev’s state visit earlier this year and a new visa‑exemption agre...
Hurricane Melissa tore through the Caribbean on Wednesday, leaving at least 25 dead in Haiti and causing devastation across Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bah...
The U.S. National Guard is planning to train hundreds of troops in each state to form a rapid-response force focused on civil disturbance missions by ...
Experts say there is no proof a renewable energy experiment led to the widespread blackout across the Iberian Peninsula in April, as investigations point to a complex grid failure with no single identified cause.
Following a rare nationwide blackout, Spain has restored nearly all electricity supply, though most trains remain idle and the cause of the outage remains unclear.
Spain’s Interior Ministry declared a state of emergency on Monday after a nationwide power blackout struck much of the Iberian Peninsula.
A major blackout across Spain and Portugal could last 6 to 10 hours, according to Red Electrica. While power is being restored in some areas, the cause of the outage remains unclear, with authorities considering the possibility of a cyberattack.
A small, silent object from another star is cutting through the Solar System. It’s real, not a film, and one scientist thinks it might be sending a message.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Hundreds of civilians were reportedly killed by the Rapid Support Forces at the main hospital in el-Fasher, days after the militia captured the Sudanese city, the head of the UN health agency said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that the most difficult situation on the front line remains the eastern city of Pokrovsk, where fighting continues to be most intense due to a strong concentration of Russian forces.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is conducting inspections in Iran but has not visited the three sites that were bombed by the United States in June, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Wednesday.
Hurricane Melissa tore through the Caribbean on Wednesday, leaving at least 25 dead in Haiti and causing devastation across Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas. The Category 5 storm made history as the strongest hurricane to directly hit Jamaica, with sustained winds of 185 mph (298 kph).
The U.S. National Guard is planning to train hundreds of troops in each state to form a rapid-response force focused on civil disturbance missions by the start of 2026, according to two U.S. officials speaking Wednesday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment