MİA: “Smart and carbon-free grids are inevitable”

The MIA report highlighted the nearly 10-hour power outage that began in Spain on April 28, 2025, spreading to Portugal and France as the most recent example. It noted that during this period, thousands of people were stranded on public transportation networks, banking and payment systems were disabled, hospitals were only able to serve emergency services, and a state of emergency was declared for public safety.

The outage was attributed to factors such as the increase in the share of renewable energy in the grid from the recommended 70 percent to 78 percent, but the lack of sufficient reserve capacity. The analysis emphasized that the volatile nature of renewable resources challenges grid stability, making it imperative that smart grids be supported by technologies such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things, and data analytics.

The report found that the increasing number of large-scale outages in Europe in recent years is linked to difficulties balancing supply and demand. It emphasized that current protection measures are inadequate and that systems need to be updated to make grids more resilient.

The analysis, which also addressed the risks to energy security posed by extreme weather events such as storms, floods, and droughts, noted that high renewable energy integration necessitates increasing reserve capacity. It noted that some countries have reactivated nuclear power plants as emergency reserves in this context.

The analysis also highlighted the critical role of AI-based algorithms, energy storage systems, and power electronics equipment. It emphasized that these technologies also create new dependencies in the pursuit of energy independence, making the development of domestic technologies strategically important.

The report emphasized that aging infrastructure plays a significant role in increasing outages, and stated that power plant and transformer center equipment should be modernized and automatic load shedding mechanisms should be developed in emergency situations.

Pointing out the importance of energy storage in eliminating supply-demand imbalances, the report stated that pumped storage hydroelectric power plants offer effective solutions, especially in cases of demand fluctuations (duck curve).

The analysis, which also gave extensive coverage to cyber threats that have increased with the digitalization of electrical systems, stated that communication protocols should be encrypted, multi-factor authentication methods should be expanded, and artificial intelligence-supported anomaly detection algorithms should be implemented.

It was stated that training and awareness programs against cyberattacks are critical, and rapid response capacity has become a fundamental element of energy supply security. It was also noted that regional and international cooperation will strengthen cyber threat intelligence sharing and enhance grid security.