The Spanish grid operator, Red Eléctrica, has officially dismissed any notions of a cyber attack contributing to the major power cut affecting Spain, Portugal, and sections of France. Eduardo Prieto, the operations director, confirmed that preliminary analyses revealed "no signs of interference" in the control systems, aligning with the statements made by Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro on the matter. However, the definitive cause of the blackout remains unclear.
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez indicated that investigations are ongoing in an effort to identify the reasons behind the incident, promising that all necessary actions would be taken to prevent future occurrences. Limited information has emerged about the time of the outage, leading to various theories among experts regarding the multiple failures that might have resulted in the power loss.
One pivotal question raised is whether renewable energy played a role in the power drop. Sánchez explained that approximately 15 gigawatts, equivalent to 60% of demand at the time, was lost almost instantly. Prieto highlighted two disconnections occurring less than a second apart in the southwestern part of Spain, where solar power generation is substantial. The grid operator hinted that a mismatch between electricity supply and demand could instigate temporary disconnections for system stability.
Despite speculation, Sánchez clarified that the outage did not arise from excessive renewable energy generation. Demand was reportedly normal leading up to the blackout, and officials emphasized that intermittent issues can arise in electrical supply systems worldwide, without being tied solely to renewables.
As frequency fluctuations can damage grid equipment, Prof. Hannah Christensen from Oxford University elaborated on how protective measures are taken by major companies when frequency moves beyond acceptable limits. When multiple entities offline simultaneously, it can trigger a cascading failure, culminating in a blackout.
On another front, Red Eléctrica suggested that the interconnection with France may have contributed to the power loss, due to a drop that tripped the grid interconnection. The direct high voltage line that connects Spain and France has been in service for seven years and is considered reliable. However, the Iberian Peninsula’s limited connections to the broader European grid make it susceptible to vulnerabilities.
Initial reports from Portugal's grid operator attributed the blackout to a "rare atmospheric event," citing temperature variations leading to rare oscillations in high voltage lines. However, this claim was denied by REN, further complicating the mystery surrounding the power outage.
With procedures underway to analyze this incident, both Spain and Portugal seek answers and aim to implement measures that will safeguard their electrical systems from future outages.
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez indicated that investigations are ongoing in an effort to identify the reasons behind the incident, promising that all necessary actions would be taken to prevent future occurrences. Limited information has emerged about the time of the outage, leading to various theories among experts regarding the multiple failures that might have resulted in the power loss.
One pivotal question raised is whether renewable energy played a role in the power drop. Sánchez explained that approximately 15 gigawatts, equivalent to 60% of demand at the time, was lost almost instantly. Prieto highlighted two disconnections occurring less than a second apart in the southwestern part of Spain, where solar power generation is substantial. The grid operator hinted that a mismatch between electricity supply and demand could instigate temporary disconnections for system stability.
Despite speculation, Sánchez clarified that the outage did not arise from excessive renewable energy generation. Demand was reportedly normal leading up to the blackout, and officials emphasized that intermittent issues can arise in electrical supply systems worldwide, without being tied solely to renewables.
As frequency fluctuations can damage grid equipment, Prof. Hannah Christensen from Oxford University elaborated on how protective measures are taken by major companies when frequency moves beyond acceptable limits. When multiple entities offline simultaneously, it can trigger a cascading failure, culminating in a blackout.
On another front, Red Eléctrica suggested that the interconnection with France may have contributed to the power loss, due to a drop that tripped the grid interconnection. The direct high voltage line that connects Spain and France has been in service for seven years and is considered reliable. However, the Iberian Peninsula’s limited connections to the broader European grid make it susceptible to vulnerabilities.
Initial reports from Portugal's grid operator attributed the blackout to a "rare atmospheric event," citing temperature variations leading to rare oscillations in high voltage lines. However, this claim was denied by REN, further complicating the mystery surrounding the power outage.
With procedures underway to analyze this incident, both Spain and Portugal seek answers and aim to implement measures that will safeguard their electrical systems from future outages.
