Origin in Granada: Spain suspects breakdown in substation as reason for blackout

Starting from a single substation, a disastrous chain reaction is likely set in motion, ultimately resulting in a power outage in Spain lasting several hours. This is the government's conclusion in its analysis of the blackout. Since then, the energy transition has also been in focus. The minister is now open to corrections.

According to the Spanish government, a sudden power failure at a substation in Granada triggered the nationwide blackout on April 28. This led to further outages in Badajoz and Seville seconds later, as Energy Minister Sara Aagesen told members of parliament. These three initial incidents—the cause of which has not yet been determined—caused a loss of 2.2 gigawatts of electricity. This, in turn, is said to have triggered a series of grid outages. At times, almost all of Spain and parts of neighboring Portugal were without power for many hours.

"We are analyzing millions of data points," Aagesen said. "We are also continuing to make progress in identifying the locations where these power outages occurred. We already know they started in Granada, Badajoz, and Seville." Investigators have ruled out a cyberattack on the grid operator REE, a supply-demand imbalance, or insufficient grid capacity as the cause.

Spain's expansion of renewable energies, which account for an increasingly large share of electricity generation, has been under scrutiny since the blackout. As has its plan to phase out nuclear power by 2035. Critics believe one reason for the blackout could have been a lack of so-called grid inertia, as the share of nuclear energy and fossil fuels in Spain's electricity mix is ​​relatively small.

Aagesen defended the government's energy policy, arguing that renewable energies would reduce electricity bills for households and businesses. In a time of geopolitical instability, greater energy autonomy is important. "A mix with more renewable energies reduces external risks," the minister said. "It allows us to anticipate all eventualities, adapt to them, and respond quickly."

Aagesen expressed his openness to extending the operating life of nuclear power plants – but only if the operators could guarantee their safety and acceptable prices for consumers and if this demonstrably contributed to security of supply.