A power surge that triggered a widespread blackout across Spain and Portugal was found to be the most severe in Europe in the last two decades, marking it as the first known incident of its kind caused by overvoltage. Damian Cortinas, president of the electricity grid operators association Entso-e, highlighted that this incident entered new territory for energy management.
The blackout, which left parts of both nations in darkness for nearly a day, resulted in a significant disruption, affecting internet and telephone connections and transportation systems. The power outage also briefly impacted southwestern France.
According to a report released, a series of cascading overvoltages led to the outage, which can arise from surges due to oversupply or inadequate protective equipment. Despite the activation of automatic defense systems, these measures failed to prevent a complete power system shutdown.
This event has ignited a heated political discourse about Spain's energy model, with some opposition parties suggesting that increased reliance on renewable energy and decreased nuclear supply were contributing factors to the blackout.
The Spanish government has pushed back against these theories, asserting that the Entso-e report's findings align with their investigation, which implicated both the national grid and private companies for the incident.
Authorities noted that the blackout caused chaos in Madrid, including halted tennis matches and trapped individuals in elevators, while hospitals faced emergency procedures as routine operations were suspended.
A follow-up report investigating the root causes of the overvoltage incidents is expected in the first quarter of next year, but for now, this blackout stands as a stark warning about the vulnerabilities within modern energy systems.
