Latest news with #Aagesen
Canada News.Net
20-06-2025
- Science
- Canada News.Net
Spanish grid operator faulted for Iberian blackout, report finds
MADRID, Spain: A routine oversight by Spain's power grid operator, REE, has been identified as the trigger behind the large-scale blackout that swept across the Iberian peninsula in late April, according to findings from a government-led investigation released this week. The report found that REE underestimated the amount of electricity needed to ensure voltage stability during peak hours on April 28 — a miscalculation that set off a chain reaction, plunging cities into gridlock and stranding thousands in elevators and trains. "The system did not have sufficient dynamic voltage control capacity," Spain's Energy Minister Sara Aagesen told reporters in Madrid. She said REE failed to keep enough thermal power plants online during critical hours. "They only set it for the early hours of the day, not the central hours." The report, published in full on June 17, also found that some power plants legally required to help stabilize the grid failed to absorb the reactive power needed to manage the surge. "Many of them were economically remunerated to do so," Aagesen said. "They did not absorb all the reactive power that was expected in a context of high voltages." Maintaining grid stability requires the system frequency — usually 50 Hertz (Hz) across Europe — to remain within narrow bounds. Deviations can damage infrastructure and equipment. The minister confirmed there was no evidence of a cyberattack.
Kuwait Times
18-06-2025
- Business
- Kuwait Times
Miscalculation by Spanish power grid operator REE led to massive blackout
Miscalculation by Spanish power grid operator REE led to massive blackout Blackout caused gridlock in cities and left thousands stranded in trains and lifts MADRID: Spain's power grid operator REE miscalculated its power capacity needs on the day that a surge in voltage caused a massive blackout across the Iberian peninsula in April, a government investigation has concluded. REE did not have enough thermal power stations switched on during peak hours of April 28 when the surge caused a chain reaction leading to the power outage, Spain's Energy Minister Sara Aagesen said on Tuesday. 'The system did not have sufficient dynamic voltage control capacity,' Aagesen told a news briefing in Madrid. REE 'told us that they made their calculations and estimated that (switching on more thermal plants) was not necessary at this time. They only set it for the early hours of the day, not the central hours.' The blackout that lasted for several hours caused massive gridlock in cities and left thousands stranded on trains and in elevators across the Iberian peninsula. An extensive report on the investigation, which will be made public later on Tuesday, found that some power plants that are required by law to regulate the grid's voltage failed to do so in the moments before the blackout. Power plants 'should have controlled voltage and, moreover, many of them were economically remunerated to do so. They did not absorb all the reactive power that was expected in a context of high voltages,' she added. Europe electricity grids' frequency or voltage is maintained at 50 Hertz (Hz) to ensure stability. Even sight deviations can lead to damage of equipment and infrastructure. Keeping it stable requires electricity generation companies to adjust their output to match demand and the grid operator usually has tools to inform them when to do so by monitoring continually the status of the frequency and knowing when demand might be higher or lower. A drop in frequency shows demand has exceeded supply and a rise shows supply is not matching demand. The investigation found no evidence of a cyberattack, she added. - Reuters
ITV News
18-06-2025
- Climate
- ITV News
Voltage surge caused power cut that plunged Spain and Portugal into darkness
A power outage that plunged millions of people into darkness in Spain and Portugal earlier this year was caused by technical and planning errors that left the grid unable to handle a surge in voltage, the Spanish government has said. Environment Minister Sara Aagesen, who manages the nation's energy policy, told reporters that a voltage surge led to small grid failures, mainly in the south of Spain, which then cascaded to larger ones and brought the system down in both countries. She ruled out that the failure was due to a cyberattack. On April 28, around 60% of Spain's electricity was lost in the major blackout, disrupting businesses, transport systems, mobile networks, internet connectivity and other critical infrastructure. Portugal, whose grid is connected to Spain's, also went down. 'All of this happened in 12 seconds, with most of the power loss happening in just five seconds,' Aagesen said. Several technical causes contributed to the event, including 'poor planning' by Spain's grid operator Red Eléctrica, which didn't find a replacement for one power plant that was supposed to help balance power fluctuations, the minister said. She also said that some power plants that utilities shut off preventively when the disruptions started could have stayed online to help manage the system. The Red Eléctrica is yet to respond to the government's claims. The blackout caused a national emergency in Spain as a day of widespread disruption saw cities gridlocked, commuters trapped inside trains and flights grounded. There were also reports of medical services implementing emergency plans to mitigate the impact on the healthcare system. Sports events were also cancelled, businesses were forced shut and people were seen queuing at cash machines to access funds. Power was fully restored by the early hours of the following day. In the weeks following the blackout, the outage ignited a fierce debate about whether Spain's high levels of renewable power and not enough energy generated from nuclear or gas-fired power plants had something to do with the grid failing, which the government has repeatedly denied. Spain is at the forefront of Europe's transition to renewable energy, having generated nearly 57% of its electricity in 2024 from renewable energy sources like wind, hydropower and solar. The country is also phasing out its nuclear plants. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pushed back against such speculation and defended the country's rapid ramping up of renewables. He asked for patience and said that his government would not 'deviate a single millimeter' from its energy transition plans, which include a goal of generating 81% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Spain reveals cause of massive blackout that cancelled flights and left 80,000 stranded
A report released by authorities in Madrid has revealed that a massive power outage in Spain and Portugal in April was the result of technical and planning errors. The outage, which left tens of millions without power, was triggered by a chain reaction of small grid failures concentrated in southern Spain, according to Spain's Ecological Transition Minister Sara Aagesen. Speaking at a press conference, Ms Aagesen ruled out the possibility of a cyberattack. She cited "the poor planning" by grid operators as a contributing factor, as they failed to find a replacement for a power plant intended to balance power fluctuations. The blackout on 28 April began shortly after 12.30pm and lasted through the evening, disrupting businesses, transit systems, cellular networks, internet connectivity, and other critical infrastructure. Within five seconds, Spain lost 15gigawatts of electricity, approximately 60 per cent of its supply. Portugal, connected to Spain's grid, also experienced a blackout, while island territories were unaffected. About 500 flights were cancelled, affecting 80,000 passengers, and many travellers slept in train stations as they were unable to get home. Power was fully restored by the early hours of the following day. The government report included analysts from Spain's national security agencies, which concluded, according to the minister, there were no indications of cyber-sabotage by foreign actors. The only solid information made public shortly after the system went down came from Spain's grid operator Red Eléctrica, which had narrowed down the source of the outage to two separate incidents in southern Spain where substations had failed. In the weeks following the blackout, citizens and experts were left wondering what triggered the event in a region not known for power outages and igniting a fierce debate about whether Spain's high levels of renewable power had something to do with the grid failing. Spain is at the forefront of Europe's transition to renewable energy, having generated nearly 57 per cent of its electricity in 2024 from renewable energy sources like wind, hydropower and solar. The country is also phasing out its nuclear plants. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pushed back against such speculation and defended renewables. He asked for patience and said that his government would not 'deviate a single millimetre' from its energy transition plans, which include a goal of generating 81 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
NBC News
18-06-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Spain says April blackout was caused by grid failures and poor planning, not a cyberattack
MADRID — Spain's government said Tuesday that the massive April power outage across Spain and Portugal that left tens of millions of people disconnected in seconds was caused by technical and planning errors that left the grid unable to handle a surge in voltage. Ecological Transition Minister Sara Aagesen, who manages the nation's energy policy, told reporters that a voltage surge led to small grid failures, mainly in the south of Spain, which then cascaded to larger ones and brought the system down in the two Iberian Peninsula nations. She ruled out that the failure was due to a cyberattack. The outage began shortly after noon on April 28 in Spain and lasted through nightfall, disrupting businesses, transit systems, cellular networks, internet connectivity and other critical infrastructure. Spain lost 15 gigawatts of electricity — or about 60% of its supply. Portugal, whose grid is connected to Spain's, also went down. Only the countries' island territories were spared. 'All of this happened in 12 seconds, with most of the power loss happening in just five seconds,' Aagesen said. Several technical causes contributed to the event, including 'poor planning' by Spain's grid operator Red Eléctrica, which didn't find a replacement for one power plant that was supposed to help balance power fluctuations, the minister said. She also said that some power plants that utilities shut off preventively when the disruptions started could have stayed online to help manage the system. Power was fully restored by the early hours of the following day. The government's report was to be released later Tuesday — 49 days after the event — and included analysis from Spain's national security agencies, which concluded, according to the minister, that there were no indications of cyber-sabotage by foreign actors. The government had previously narrowed down the source of the outage to three power plants that tripped in southern Spain. In the weeks following the blackout, citizens and experts were left wondering what triggered the event in a region not known for power cuts. The outage ignited a fierce debate about whether Spain's high levels of renewable power and not enough energy generated from nuclear or gas-fired power plants had something to do with the grid failing, which the government has repeatedly denied. Spain is at the forefront of Europe's transition to renewable energy, having generated nearly 57% of its electricity in 2024 from renewable energy sources such as wind, hydropower and solar. The country is also phasing out its nuclear plants. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pushed back against such speculation and defended the country's rapid ramping up of renewables. He asked for patience and said that his government would not 'deviate a single millimeter' from its energy transition plans, which include a goal of generating 81% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
