Spain says ‘overvoltage' caused huge April blackout
MADRID : A major power outage that paralysed the Iberian Peninsula in April was caused by 'overvoltage' on the grid that triggered 'a chain reaction', according to a government report released yesterday.
The April 28 blackout had 'multiple' causes, ecological transition minister Sara Aagesen told reporters, adding that the system 'lacked sufficient voltage control capacity' that day.
Overvoltage is when there is too much electrical voltage in a network, overloading equipment.
Potential causes include surges in networks due to oversupply or lightning strikes, or when protective equipment is insufficient or fails.
When faced with overvoltage, protective systems shut down parts of the grid, potentially leading to widespread power outages.
Aagesen singled out the role of Spanish grid operator REE and certain energy companies she did not name that disconnected their plants 'inappropriately… to protect their installations'.
She also pointed to 'insufficient voltage control capacity' on the system that day, due in part to a programming flaw, insisting that Spain's grid was theoretically robust enough to handle such situations.
Due to these misjudgment, 'we reached a point of no return with an uncontrollable chain reaction' that could only have been managed if steps had been taken beforehand to absorb the overvoltage problems, she added.
Asked if the head of the grid operator should resign, Aagesen said the report was 'not any kind of trial. It set out to determine the causes and to make recommendations'.
Authorities had scrambled to find answers after the outage cut internet and telephone connections, halted trains, shut businesses and plunged cities into darkness across Spain and Portugal as well as briefly affecting southwestern France.
Prime minister Pedro Sanchez announced the formation of an inquiry commission led by the ecological transition ministry shortly after the blackout, urging residents not to speculate until detailed results were available.
He had warned that the probe's conclusions could take several months given the complexity of the incident.
The government, which has been mired in a corruption scandal involving a close aide of Sanchez, sped up the timeline in recent days.
The commission of inquiry has met three times since Friday to prepare the publication of the report.
'Deficiencies'
Following the outage, several hypotheses were considered to explain the blackout, including a cyberattack and a grid failure caused by excess renewable energy production.
These theories were again dismissed by Aagesen yesterday, though she acknowledged that 'vulnerabilities' and 'deficiencies' had been identified in Spain's power grid security systems.
The right-wing opposition has questioned the Socialist-led coalition government's phase-out of nuclear energy and reliance on renewables, saying they made Spain more vulnerable to blackouts.
But the government says there is no evidence to suggest 'an excess of renewables or the lack of nuclear power plants' caused the crisis.
According to Sarah Brown, Europe programme director at the energy think tank Ember, 'renewables played a crucial role in restoring system stability and getting the power back on so quickly', dismissing what she called 'unhelpful and inaccurate speculation' blaming wind and solar power.
The blackout 'reinforces what we already knew. As power systems evolve, enhanced grid optimisation and flexibility are essential for resilience', she said in a note.
Among the government report's recommendations is the need for stronger supervision and compliance requirements for operators, increasing the country's overall electrical capacity and boosting Spain's electricity connections with neighbouring countries.
The blackout exposed Spain and Portugal's relative lack of interconnections, with support from France and Morocco playing an important role in restoring power.
The European Investment Bank on Monday announced €1.6 billion (US$1.8 billion) of funding for a major electricity interconnection between France and Spain, which would almost double power exchange capacity.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
17 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Natural resources minister rejects calls for centralised rare earth body, citing constitutional challenges and state objections
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) has no plans to establish a centralised body to regulate Malaysia's rare earth elements (REE) industry, citing constitutional provisions and objections from state governments. Acting Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said several states had raised concerns during engagement sessions, viewing the proposal as an attempt to nationalise state-owned mineral resources. 'Petroleum resources outside state waters are managed differently from land matters, which fall under state jurisdiction,' he told the Dewan Rakyat when winding up the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) debate for his ministry today. He cited the Federal Constitution's Ninth Schedule (State List), which gives states authority over mining permits, leases and licences. As such, any move to centralise REE regulation would require in-depth study and close consultation with all state governments to safeguard their rights. Johari also dismissed claims that Malaysia had offered to supply REE, raw or otherwise, exclusively to the United States as leverage in trade tariff talks. 'This was already clarified by the Investment, Trade and Industry Minister (Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz) on Aug 7. The tariff discussions did not involve any commitment to supply REE,' he said. On negotiations with China, Johari said discussions are currently focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation to develop Malaysia's REE industry across the full value chain, including the setting up of processing plants. 'It's still early and China wants to see if our REE can be converted into the downstream products they need. No formal talks are underway regarding any buyback of processed REE,' he said. — Bernama
New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
Govt has no plans for single REE entity to regulate industry
KUALA LUMPUR: The government has no plans to establish a single entity akin to Petronas to regulate the rare earth elements (REE) industry for now, says Datuk Seri Johari Ghani. The acting natural resources and environmental sustainability minister said that during past discussions and stakeholder engagements, several states expressed objections to such a move. "They viewed the proposal as an attempt at the nationalisation of mineral resources that belong to the states. "As is well known, the management of petroleum resources beyond state waters is different from the management of land matters, which falls under state jurisdiction. "This is clearly stated in the Federal Constitution, Ninth Schedule, List II (State List), which provides that the states have jurisdiction over permits and licences for prospecting, mining leases, mining, and mining certificates," he said in his winding-up speech for the 13th Malaysia Plan. This comes after proposals by several members of parliament for the government to establish a regulatory agency, similar to Petronas, through the enactment of an REE Act to drive the development of the REE industry. Johari assured that the Federal Government fully respects state jurisdiction over land and mineral matters, as enshrined in the Federal Constitution. Accordingly, he said the government has formulated a clear long-term plan to develop the rare earth elements industry holistically, in line with the direction endorsed by the National Economic Action Council. "Any policies or mechanisms on REE revenue distribution will be formulated and decided inclusively through the National Mineral Council, which serves as the main platform for engagement and coordination between the federal and producing state governments. "This planning is based on the principle of close cooperation between the federal and state governments, to ensure that every initiative for the development of the REE industry takes into account state rights and jurisdiction as provided under the Constitution," he said. Malaysia, he said, is also still in discussions with China on technology transfer of REE to Malaysia. "We want to first see what they are doing. We will also conduct our own research, and only then sit down to decide what technologies we want to adopt. "We cannot depend solely on China, as Russia also has expertise, although they have not approached us. China, on the other hand, has offered, and they want to prove themselves to us. We will assess the outcomes and then discuss further," he said. When asked why the proof-of-concept phase in Kenering, Perak is taking up to five years, Johari clarified that big-scale mining usually takes more time to assess, especially on its impact towards the environment. He said he would visit the site soon to get updates from the scientists. He also clarified that Malaysia has never offered the export of raw REE as a concession or condition for tariff reduction in trade tariff negotiations with the United States. This also comes after several queries from MPs to the government about negotiations with the United States involving REE, given that the raw export ban is still in force. "NRES wishes to stress that, in trade tariff negotiations with the US government, Malaysia has never offered the export of raw REE as a concession or condition for tariff reduction.
Barnama
a day ago
- Barnama
Malaysia Rules Out Single Entity To Regulate Rare Earth Industry — Johari
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) has no plans to establish a centralised body to regulate Malaysia's rare earth elements (REE) industry, citing constitutional provisions and objections from state governments. Acting Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said several states had raised concerns during engagement sessions, viewing the proposal as an attempt to nationalise state-owned mineral resources. 'Petroleum resources outside state waters are managed differently from land matters, which fall under state jurisdiction,' he told the Dewan Rakyat when winding up the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) debate for his ministry today. He cited the Federal Constitution's Ninth Schedule (State List), which gives states authority over mining permits, leases and licences. As such, any move to centralise REE regulation would require in-depth study and close consultation with all state governments to safeguard their rights. Johari also dismissed claims that Malaysia had offered to supply REE, raw or otherwise, exclusively to the United States as leverage in trade tariff talks. 'This was already clarified by the Investment, Trade and Industry Minister (Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz) on Aug 7. The tariff discussions did not involve any commitment to supply REE,' he said. On negotiations with China, Johari said discussions are currently focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation to develop Malaysia's REE industry across the full value chain, including the setting up of processing plants. 'It's still early and China wants to see if our REE can be converted into the downstream products they need. No formal talks are underway regarding any buyback of processed REE,' he said. -- BERNAMA
