Countries Portugal and Spain vow to collaborate more extensively in order to uncover the cause of the power outage.
At a Glance
The investigation continues into the power outage that hit Spain and Portugal on April 28, 2025, with the Portuguese Minister, Maria da Graça Carvalho, meeting with the Spanish Deputy Prime Minister, Sara Aagesen, to discuss the incident. As of now, the cause remains elusive, but it's known the outage originated from power generation failures in three Spanish provinces.
Maria da Graça Carvalho and her team are leaving no stone unturned in their quest for answers, pouring over millions of data points to unearth the mystery. The initial hypothesis ruled out issues with coverage, backup, or network size, but there were power and frequency swings in the continental European synchronous area before the blackout.
Suspicions surround the heavy reliance on renewables at the time, but experts insist it's not the renewables themselves causing the issue—it's their control. Grid inertia has become a significant concern with high levels of renewables integration.
As they delve deeper into the investigation, measures are being proposed to prevent any future occurrences:
- Keep investigating
- Develop grid-forming controls for renewables to mimic the stabilizing effect of traditional generators
- Improve grid management practices based on lessons learned
- Potential adjustments to energy policy
Stay tuned as the saga of understanding and averting power outages unfolds.
"The Portuguese Minister, Maria da Graça Carvalho, is discussing the power outage incident with the Spanish Deputy Prime Minister, Sara Aagesen, in the context of Portugal's politics and general news, as they look to address the issues arising from the outage that hit both Spain and Portugal."
"As they work towards preventing future power outages, potential adjustments to energy policy in Portugal are being considered, with a focus on improving grid management practices, developing grid-forming controls for renewables, and keeping investigations ongoing."
