🔗 Share this article

A major electrical overvoltage that resulted in a large-scale blackout across Spanish territory and Portugal has been classified as the "most severe" power disruption in Europe during the last 20 years, and represents a first event of its type, according to a freshly issued study.

The president of the group of electrical system controllers stated that this specific incident marked the initial documented electrical disruption to be specifically initiated by excessive voltage, which happens when surplus electrical pressure gathers within a system.

"This is uncharted waters," the official remarked, explaining that the group's function was "not to determine fault to any party" regarding the primary source.

The April's outage produced major disruption for almost one full day when it threw multiple areas into blackout conditions, disrupting internet and telephone connections and stopping transportation systems.

Broad Consequences

The power outage influenced extensive regions of Spain and Portugal, and briefly affected southern French territories.

The report, published on Friday, focused on the state of the energy infrastructure on the day of the outage and the chain of events leading up to it.

Systemic Failures

A sequence of "sequential electrical spikes" - characterized as an rise in the power system voltage surpassing the standard level - was found to be the main reason behind the outage, the analysis concluded.

Overvoltage can be caused by spikes in grids due to oversupply or weather events, or when defensive mechanisms are deficient.

According to the investigation, computerized safety protocols were triggered but failed to halt the power system from shutting down.

Multiple Investigations

The report follows multiple independent investigations and reports by the Spain's administration, as well as power and grid companies. The regulatory body and parliament members are also carrying out independent inquiries.

The national authorities considers that the association's conclusions supports its previous conclusions.

The minister for energy transition stated that it was "fully aligned" with the outcomes of an investigation it commissioned which concluded in summer that each of the national grid provider and commercial energy firms were responsible.

Diverging Narratives

Both the primary grid operator and the commercial companies have asserted that they were not to blame. The parent company has assigned responsibility for the outage on certain coal, gas and nuclear power plants' failure to help sustain appropriate voltage.

Spanish utilities claimed it was triggered by poor planning from network managers.

Examination Challenges

The report also noted that specific essential details was absent and that "acquiring thorough, reliable details proved extremely difficult for this investigation".

A conclusive study, to be released in the beginning period of next year, will analyze the root causes of the voltage surge and the measures implemented to manage voltage in the network.

Governmental Debate

The failure initiated a broader debate that spilled into the governmental sphere about Spain's energy model.

The competing parties suggested that an expanding commitment on sustainable power, advocated by the current administration of the national leader, could have been a relevant element in triggering the failure and the territory's diminishing production of nuclear electricity meant a reliable alternative was inaccessible.

The authorities roundly rejected these theories and the recent study was prudent to remain neutral when it concerned the causes of the month's exceptional failure.

Immediate Impacts

The power disruption obliged professional tennis tournament organizers to halt a game midway during the event.

Spain's nuclear power plants immediately shut down when the failure occurred, and the Spanish oil company stated it stopped production at its oil refineries.

Social Disorder

Structures were thrown into powerless state, while cellular devices and road signals failed to operate. Lines snaked around street corners and digital purchases stopped working, compelling people to wait for currency and crowd into buses as different mobility options were not running.

First responders were summoned to 286 buildings to free people stuck in lifts in the Madrid region and hospitals activated contingency procedures, halting routine procedures.