On April 28, Spain plunged into darkness in a massive blackout, cutting electricity across the entire country. Mobile phone and internet connections went down, the rail network was paralysed, and hundreds of people were trapped in lifts.
Now, Madrid says it needs “several more days” to identify the root cause of the outage, Environment Minister Sara Aagesen told El Pais. Authorities are examining “all hypotheses”, including a potential cyberattack.
Initial reports from grid operator Red Electrica point to a sudden drop in solar output from panels in southeast Spain, which may have unbalanced the grid. “We know that those installations stopped working in the system,” Aagesen confirmed.
However, she warned against rushing to blame renewables. “Talking about solar panels as the cause might be hasty,” she said, calling any quick-fix blame “irresponsible and simplistic.” Spain has integrated renewables for years, Aagesen noted, with past days seeing even higher solar generation at lower demand without issues.
Experts now debate whether fluctuations from wind or solar could have skewed supply and demand—or if a sophisticated cyber intrusion hit the grid. The open-ended probe aims to bolster Spain’s power network against future shocks, natural or man-made.
Despite the blackout, Spain remains committed to green energy and energy independence in a volatile world. “Renewable energy allows Spain to achieve a great deal of energy independence,” Aagesen said.
As the investigation continues, businesses and consumers will watch closely for answers on how one of Europe’s most renewable-forward grids went dark in an instant.
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More days needed to identify Spain's blackout origin, says government
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