Cause of massive blackout: Widespread Blackout Affects Spain and Portugal
A massive power outage swept across Spain and Portugal on Monday, grounding flights, paralyzing metro systems, disrupting mobile communications, and shutting down ATMs. The blackout, one of Europe’s most severe, affected nearly the entire Iberian Peninsula.
Restoration Efforts
By Tuesday morning, more than 99% of energy demand in Spain had been restored, according to the country’s electricity operator Red Eléctrica. Portuguese grid operator REN reported that all 89 power substations were back online, and power had been restored to all 6.4 million customers. Despite these efforts, some isolated disruptions remained.
Cause Remains Unknown
The cause of the blackout remains a mystery, with authorities in Spain and Portugal investigating the incident. Eduardo Prieto, director of services for system operations at Spain’s electricity operator, noted two steep, back-to-back “disconnection events” before the blackout. Further investigation is needed to understand why these events occurred.
Grid Instability Suspected
Experts suspect grid instability may have contributed to the blackout. Spain’s high reliance on renewable energy sources, particularly wind and solar power, may have played a role. Kristian Ruby, Secretary General of Eurelectric, described the event as a once-in-50 or even 100-year occurrence, citing the complexity of the European grid.
Possible Causes
Several possible causes have been proposed, including
– Grid Overload: A brief outage in parts of France may have overloaded the European grid, leading to cascading failures across Spain and southwestern France.
– Induced Atmospheric Vibration: Portugal’s grid operator initially suggested that extreme temperature variations in central Spain triggered anomalous oscillations, but later retracted this explanation.
– Renewable Energy Fluctuations: Spain’s reliance on wind and solar power may have contributed to grid instability.
Impact on Daily Life
The blackout significantly impacted daily life, with:
– Transportation Disruptions: Flights were grounded, metro systems were paralyzed, and commuter trains were suspended or running at reduced capacity.
– Economic Losses: ATMs and credit card machines were shut down, causing inconvenience to businesses and individuals.
– Public Services: Emergency workers rescued around 35,000 passengers stranded along railways and underground.
Still on Cause of massive blackout
Response from Authorities
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez prioritized restoring Spain’s electrical system and finding the causes of the blackout to prevent similar incidents. European Council President António Costa and Teresa Ribera, executive vice president of the European Commission, ruled out cyberattacks and sabotage as possible causes.
Restarting the Grid
The process of restarting the grid is complex and may take several days to complete. Red Eléctrica estimated that national restoration in Spain might take 6 to 10 hours, while REN warned that full recovery across the region could take up to a week.
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