Latest news with #DuncanBurt
Scottish Sun
29-04-2025
- Scottish Sun
Net zero, cyber attack or freak weather? Urgent probe after Spain & Portugal left in chaos by Europe's biggest blackout
SPAIN and Portugal plunged into chaos after Europe's biggest-ever blackout cut power to tens of millions - and now experts are warning that net zero may be partly to blame. A huge reliance on solar and wind energy left both nations dangerously exposed, analysts said, as airports shut, trains stopped and whole cities fell into darkness. 7 A worker assists a customer with a torch at a supermarket during a power outage which hit large parts of Spain 7 Metro closing the gates in Barcelona Credit: Getty 7 Travellers stranded at Lisbon airport during the electricity shutdown Credit: Getty 7 People sit outside Joaquin Sorolla train station in Valencia after services were cancelled Credit: Reuters The mass outage triggered states of emergency, fuelled panic buying, and left thousands of Brits stranded as airports and transport links across the Iberian peninsula ground to a halt. The exact cause of Monday's massive blackout, which began around 10.33am UK time, remains unclear. But energy specialists say the green shift to solar and wind made the grid in Spain and Portugal far less stable - leaving it unable to cope when disaster struck. At the time of the blackout, Spain was running on over 64% solar and wind, while gas made up just 6% of the power mix, The Telegraph reports. Unlike fossil fuels, renewables do not generate "inertia" - the stabilising energy needed to absorb shocks in the grid. Britain's National Energy Systems Operator described inertia as being like "the shock absorbers in your car's suspension, which dampen the effect of a sudden bump in the road and keep your car stable and moving forward." Kathryn Porter, an independent energy analyst, explained: "In a low-inertia environment the frequency can change much faster. "If you have had a significant grid fault in one area, or a cyber attack, or whatever it may be, the grid operators therefore have less time to react. "That can lead to cascading failures if you cannot get it under control quickly." Spain and Portugal power outage – Sweeping blackouts shut down internet & grind transport to a halt Former UK grid boss Duncan Burt added: 'If you have got a very high solar day then your grid is less stable, unless you've taken actions to mitigate that.' Spain has made huge strides towards net zero - moving from fossil fuels dominating 80% of power generation two decades ago to renewables now making up more than half. But experts warn that while solar and wind are clean, they don't provide the same grid "shock absorbers" as traditional power plants. Solar and wind lack the "inertia" provided by big spinning turbines, meaning they can't react fast enough when things go wrong. Richard Tice, Reform UK's deputy leader, said: "This should be seen as a wake-up call to the eco-zealots… "Wind and solar outputs by contrast, vary hugely over long and short periods so they add risk to the system." The European Court of Auditors had already warned earlier this month that the boom in renewables made balancing electricity systems across Europe much harder. Under Ed Milliband's plans, Britain is racing to decarbonise its energy system by 2030 - a goal critics say now looks even riskier. Cyber attack or extreme weather? While the European Union's cyber security wing ruled out a hack for now - blaming a technical or cable fault - some aren't so sure. Juanma Moreno, president of Andalusia's regional government, said said a cyber attack is the most likely cause of the disruption and claimed that everything pointed towards a deliberate plot. He added that hospitals would only be able to rely on their generators for 24 hours. There were also fears that a "Russian cyberattack" is behind the chaos, following previous similar plots against Europe. 7 This bar in Toledo, central Spain, soldiered on through the outage Credit: EPA 7 People queue for a taxi at Barajas Airport in Madrid during Monday's blackout Credit: Getty 7 Commuters leave a dark subway station in Madrid, Spain Credit: EPA There was speculation that Putin's meddling was involved in the Heathrow fire last month, which depleted the whole airport of power for a day. Meanwhile, Portugal's grid operator REN suggested a "rare atmospheric phenomenon" caused "anomalous oscillations" due to extreme temperature variations - though experts noted the weather wasn't particularly extreme at 22C. Utility analyst Steve Loftus said: 'The cynic in me wonders if there are people who don't want to admit that it's a renewables issue – if it was – because a lot of people are very invested in its success.' Slow recovery By Monday night, about 61% of power had returned to some parts of Spain – including Galicia, the Basque Country, and Catalonia. But Spanish officials warned full normality could take days, with Portugal adding it could take up to a week to fully stabilise on their end. Airports in Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona were operating on emergency systems, and rail services across Spain and Portugal remained crippled. As Britain watches on, experts are now urging a rethink before throwing everything behind renewables without safeguards. Craig Dyke at Britain's National Energy Systems Operator said: 'We are monitoring the situation closely and are liaising with our counterparts in neighbouring European countries to offer any assistance that may be required.' A UK Government spokesperson insisted: 'Our electricity network continues to operate as normal and there are no expected impacts on the UK.'
The Sun
29-04-2025
- Climate
- The Sun
Net zero, cyber attack or freak weather? Urgent probe after Spain & Portugal left in chaos by Europe's biggest blackout
SPAIN and Portugal plunged into chaos after Europe's biggest-ever blackout cut power to tens of millions - and now experts are warning that net zero may be partly to blame. A huge reliance on solar and wind energy left both nations dangerously exposed, analysts said, as airports shut, trains stopped and whole cities fell into darkness. 7 7 7 7 The mass outage triggered states of emergency, fuelled panic buying, and left thousands of Brits stranded as airports and transport links across the Iberian peninsula ground to a halt. The exact cause of Monday's massive blackout, which began around 10.33am UK time, remains unclear. But energy specialists say the green shift to solar and wind made the grid in Spain and Portugal far less stable - leaving it unable to cope when disaster struck. At the time of the blackout, Spain was running on over 64% solar and wind, while gas made up just 6% of the power mix, The Telegraph reports. Unlike fossil fuels, renewables do not generate "inertia" - the stabilising energy needed to absorb shocks in the grid. Britain's National Energy Systems Operator described inertia as being like "the shock absorbers in your car's suspension, which dampen the effect of a sudden bump in the road and keep your car stable and moving forward." Kathryn Porter, an independent energy analyst, explained: "In a low-inertia environment the frequency can change much faster. "If you have had a significant grid fault in one area, or a cyber attack, or whatever it may be, the grid operators therefore have less time to react. "That can lead to cascading failures if you cannot get it under control quickly." Spain and Portugal power outage – Sweeping blackouts shut down internet & grind transport to a halt Former UK grid boss Duncan Burt added: 'If you have got a very high solar day then your grid is less stable, unless you've taken actions to mitigate that.' Spain has made huge strides towards net zero - moving from fossil fuels dominating 80% of power generation two decades ago to renewables now making up more than half. But experts warn that while solar and wind are clean, they don't provide the same grid "shock absorbers" as traditional power plants. Solar and wind lack the "inertia" provided by big spinning turbines, meaning they can't react fast enough when things go wrong. Richard Tice, Reform UK's deputy leader, said: "This should be seen as a wake-up call to the eco-zealots… "Wind and solar outputs by contrast, vary hugely over long and short periods so they add risk to the system." The European Court of Auditors had already warned earlier this month that the boom in renewables made balancing electricity systems across Europe much harder. Under Ed Milliband's plans, Britain is racing to decarbonise its energy system by 2030 - a goal critics say now looks even riskier. Cyber attack or extreme weather? While the European Union 's cyber security wing ruled out a hack for now - blaming a technical or cable fault - some aren't so sure. Juanma Moreno, president of Andalusia's regional government, said said a cyber attack is the most likely cause of the disruption and claimed that everything pointed towards a deliberate plot. He added that hospitals would only be able to rely on their generators for 24 hours. There were also fears that a "Russian cyberattack" is behind the chaos, following previous similar plots against Europe. 7 7 7 There was speculation that Putin's meddling was involved in the Heathrow fire last month, which depleted the whole airport of power for a day. Meanwhile, Portugal 's grid operator REN suggested a "rare atmospheric phenomenon" caused "anomalous oscillations" due to extreme temperature variations - though experts noted the weather wasn't particularly extreme at 22C. Utility analyst Steve Loftus said: 'The cynic in me wonders if there are people who don't want to admit that it's a renewables issue – if it was – because a lot of people are very invested in its success.' Slow recovery By Monday night, about 61% of power had returned to some parts of Spain – including Galicia, the Basque Country, and Catalonia. But Spanish officials warned full normality could take days, with Portugal adding it could take up to a week to fully stabilise on their end. Airports in Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona were operating on emergency systems, and rail services across Spain and Portugal remained crippled. As Britain watches on, experts are now urging a rethink before throwing everything behind renewables without safeguards. Craig Dyke at Britain's National Energy Systems Operator said: 'We are monitoring the situation closely and are liaising with our counterparts in neighbouring European countries to offer any assistance that may be required.' A UK Government spokesperson insisted: 'Our electricity network continues to operate as normal and there are no expected impacts on the UK.' The day Europe stood still by Juliana Cruz Lima, Foreign News Reporter CHAOS erupted across Spain and Portugal as the continent was rocked by its biggest-ever blackout. Traffic lights failed, mobile networks collapsed, and desperate residents queued outside shops, petrol stations and banks to grab supplies and cash. In Madrid, emergency crews carried out 286 rescues to free people trapped in lifts, while passengers in Portugal were forced to flee darkened underground tunnels. Spain's Interior Ministry declared a national emergency and deployed 30,000 police to maintain order as both governments held emergency cabinet meetings. Airports in Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona ground to a halt, with hundreds of flights delayed or cancelled, leaving tens of thousands of British tourists stranded. Supermarkets emptied fast as panic-buyers cleared shelves of essentials like batteries, water and generators. Hospitals across the region were forced onto back-up generators, while Spain's prime minister Pedro Sanchez urged citizens to stay calm, limit travel and use phones sparingly. Despite frantic efforts to restore power, authorities warned it could take several days for full normality to return – and investigations into what caused the blackout are still ongoing. The blackout has already been dubbed the worst in European history – eclipsing the 2003 outage that hit 56 million people in Italy and Switzerland.
Sky News AU
29-04-2025
- Climate
- Sky News AU
Why Spain's net zero push may be behind the mass blackouts that sparked a state of emergency and led to transport chaos, panic-buying
Spain's Interior Ministry declared a state of emergency after a massive power outage hit Spain and Portugal on Monday, knocking out traffic lights and forcing the evacuation of subway systems in both countries, among other disruptions. About half of Spain has seen power restored, while full restoration is expected to occur sometime Tuesday. While the cause of the outages is not yet known, experts told the UK's The Daily Telegraph that both countries' increasing reliance on wind and solar had left them vulnerable to blackouts. Turbines running on gas, coal and hydropower create inertia through the spinning parts in their generators. Solar generators do not have spinning parts. "In a low-inertia environment the frequency can change much faster," Energy analyst Kathryn Porter said. "If you have had a significant grid fault in one area, or a cyber attack, or whatever it may be, the grid operators therefore have less time to react." Former British grid operator Duncan Burt said a "high solar day" risks making the grid less stable "unless you've taken actions to mitigate that". Spain's grid relies heavily on solar, which was providing roughly 53 per cent of the country's electricity as of noon on Monday. A graph on Spain's electricity network website that shows power demand across the country indicated a steep drop at around 12:15 p.m. local time, from 27,500 megawatts to near 15,000, according to the Associated Press. "Due to extreme temperature variations in the interior of Spain, there were anomalous oscillations in the very high-voltage lines, a phenomenon known as induced atmospheric vibration," REN, Portugal's grid operator, was quoted as saying. "These oscillations caused synchronization failures between the electrical systems, leading to successive disturbances across the interconnected European network." REN reportedly described the incident as a "rare atmospheric phenomenon." The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Center issued a statement saying there was no sign the outage was due to a cyberattack. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez later said a problem in the European grid that he described as a "strong oscillation" was behind the outage, but that the cause was still being determined. Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica said that restoring power fully to the country and neighboring Portugal could take 6-10 hours. "Red Eléctrica is working to determine the cause of this power outage and resolve the problem as soon as possible," the Prime Minister said in a post on X. "Spain has mechanisms to deal with these types of situations. Once again, I appeal to the public to cooperate with all authorities and act responsibly and civilly, as we have always done." By 10:30 p.m. local time, Red Eléctrica had reported that over 48% of the demand had been recovered and 66% of the substation parks in the network were energized. Video that aired on Spanish television showed people evacuating metro stations in Madrid, and empty stations with trains stopped in Barcelona. Spain's parliament also was left in the dark, public broadcaster RTVE reported. The ATP Tour said play at the Madrid Open tennis tournament was suspended for the day due to the power outage. In Portugal, several Lisbon subway cars were evacuated, courts stopped work and ATMs and electronic payment systems were affected. Traffic lights in Lisbon also stopped working. Portugal's Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said on X that authorities were working together to respond to the electrical outage affecting the country. "We are in constant contact with security forces, civil protection, the armed forces, hospitals, fuel supply companies, to ensure responsiveness in essential infrastructures and support for those who need it," he said in a translated post. "We are also in contact with European institutions and partners. No time to waste! Our thanks to all who are focused on these priority tasks." Spanish airports were operating on backup electrical systems and some flights were delayed, according to Aena, the company that runs 56 airports in Spain, including Madrid and Barcelona. Lisbon Airport said on its website that "A general power cut may cause operation constraints" and urged travelers to "Contact your airline before heading to the airport." Both the Portuguese and Spanish governments convened emergency cabinet meetings to address the situation, according to Reuters. Residents in both countries told Sky News that they have observed people panic buying water and other supplies inside supermarkets. Eduardo Prieto, head of operations at Red Eléctrica, told journalists it was unprecedented, calling the event "exceptional and extraordinary." "Voltage has now been restored at substations in several areas of the north, south, and west of the Iberian Peninsula," Red Eléctrica wrote on X. "This process involves the gradual energization of the transmission grid as the generating units are connected." "Power is now available in parts of Catalonia, Aragon, the Basque Country, Galicia, La Rioja, Asturias, Navarre, Castile and León, Extremadura, and Andalusia," it continued. "In addition to the areas where power has already begun to be restored, others have been added in Madrid, the Valencian Community, Murcia, and Castilla-La Mancha." "The causes are being analyzed, and all resources are being dedicated to addressing the issue," Red Eléctrica also said. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. Originally published as Why Spain, Portugal's net zero push may be behind the mass blackouts that sparked a state of emergency, transport chaos and panic-buying
NZ Herald
29-04-2025
- Climate
- NZ Herald
Renewable energy blamed as Spain, Portugal suffer major blackouts
A state of emergency was declared in Spain, while in Portugal, water company EPAL said supplies could also be disrupted. Queues formed at shops of people seeking to purchase emergency supplies like gaslights, generators and batteries. Energy operators are fighting to restore power in Spain, Portugal and parts of France, and residents are being urged to avoid travel and use mobile phones sparingly. More than half of Spain's power has been restored, the country's REE electricity operator said late Monday. Tens of thousands of British travellers could be affected by airport disruption in the region. Green energy limited Spain has had a massive increase in renewable and low carbon electricity generation in recent years. Two decades ago more than 80% of its power came from burning fossil fuels such as coal and gas, as well as nuclear. Solar and wind provided less than 5%. By 2023 renewable energy provided 50.3% of power. On Monday the proportion of renewables was far higher. Around noon (10pm NZT), just before the crash, solar was providing about 53% of Spain's electricity with another 11% from wind, according to Red Eléctrica's own data. Gas was providing only about 6%. On Monday Spain was forced to activate emergency measures to restore electricity across parts of northern and southern Spain, including switching hydroelectric plants across the country back on and importing power through giant cables with France and Morocco. Traditional energy systems have mechanisms that allow them to keep running even if there is a shock, such as a surge or loss of power. However, solar and wind do not have the same ability. How it all works Electricity grids need what is known as inertia to help balance the network and maintain electricity supplies at a stable frequency. Inertia is created by generators with spinning parts – such as turbines running on gas, coal or hydropower – which wind and solar do not have. Britain's National Energy Systems Operator (Neso) compares it to 'the shock absorbers in your car's suspension, which dampen the effect of a sudden bump in the road and keep your car stable and moving forward'. Kathryn Porter, an independent energy analyst, said: 'In a low-inertia environment the frequency can change much faster. If you have had a significant grid fault in one area, or a cyber attack, or whatever it may be, the grid operators therefore have less time to react. 'That can lead to cascading failures if you cannot get it under control quickly.' Duncan Burt, a former British grid operator and strategy chief at Reactive Technologies, said: 'If you have got a very high solar day then your grid is less stable, unless you've taken actions to mitigate that. So you would expect things to be less stable than normal.' Warning Richard Tice, the Reform Party's deputy leader and energy spokesman, said the events in Spain should be a warning to Britain and showed the risks of net zero. He said: 'We need to know the exact causes but this should be seen as a wake-up call to the eco-zealots. 'Power grids need to operate within tight parameters to remain stable. Wind and solar outputs by contrast, vary hugely over long and short periods so they add risk to the system. The UK's grid operators and our Government should take heed.' There have long been warnings about this kind of vulnerability in net zero systems. The European Court of Auditors, an arm's-length body that oversees EU spending, warned earlier this month that the growth of renewables was making it harder to balance the grids of different countries. It said in a report: 'Renewable energy sources have higher intermittency and variability because their output depends on weather conditions, unlike traditional power plants that can adjust output to meet demand. This, in turn, makes balancing the system more challenging. 'Consequently, grid reinforcement, the installation of specific equipment, and more modern, smart and innovative technologies may be required to accommodate these energy sources.' Britain's plans Under plans drawn up by Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, Britain is hoping to decarbonise Britain's energy system by 2030. The plan requires a huge shift to renewable energy and will make the UK one of the fastest adopters of net zero in the world. Craig Dyke at Neso said: 'We are monitoring the situation closely and are liaising with our counterparts in neighbouring European countries to offer any assistance that may be required.' A Government spokesman said: 'Our electricity network continues to operate as normal and there are no expected impacts on the UK.' On Monday night, Spain's energy operator Red Eléctrica estimated it could take between six to 10 hours to restore power, while REN in Portugal said it could take up to a week for normal service to resume. Generators and blackouts Hospitals were forced to switch to emergency generators and traffic lights in the region were knocked out after blackouts swept the Iberian peninsula around midday on Monday. Mobile networks were also hit, leaving people relying on battery-powered radios to get updates and news. Passengers were also forced to flee through dark tunnels on underground networks in Spain and Portugal, and emergency services workers carried out 286 rescue operations to free people trapped inside elevators across Madrid. Elsewhere, British tennis player Jacob Fearnley was forced to leave the clay court at the Madrid Open after scoreboards and a camera above the court were affected. The Portuguese Cabinet convened an emergency meeting at the Prime Minister's residence in response to the blackouts and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited power distributor Red Eléctrica to follow efforts at restoring grid operations. Slow return of power About three and a half hours after the blackout began, power had returned to parts of Galicia, the Basque Country, and Catalonia, but officials warned it could be days before full normality resumes. In a televised address, Sanchez called on the public to 'cooperate with all authorities, to act with responsibility and civility'. Portuguese authorities said the blackouts may have been caused by a 'very large oscillation in the electrical voltage' in the Spanish system. The cyber security wing of the European Union suggested a technical or cable fault was responsible for the outage. Preliminary findings from The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) suggested it was not an attack and a spokesman told The Telegraph: 'For the moment the investigation seems to point to a technical/cable issue.' Sanchez said in a televised address on Monday afternoon: 'We still do not have conclusive information about the reasons for this outage ... It's better not to speculate, we will know the causes, we do not rule out any hypothesis.' Flight disruptions Ongoing issues raise the prospect of significant disruption for British holidaymakers and travellers in the region. More than 500 flights were scheduled to leave Britain for airports in Portugal and Spain on Monday, equivalent to almost 100,000 seats. Officials said flights would not take off from Lisbon Airport until at least 10pm local time. Madrid and Barcelona were both operating at reduced capacity until further notice. The blackout is thought to be Europe's biggest ever, eclipsing a 2003 outage that left 56 million people in Italy and parts of Switzerland without electricity for up to 12 hours. The largest power cut in history was in India in 2012 when 700 million people, roughly 10% of the world's population at the time, were left without electricity.
