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ENTSO-E Says Excessive Voltage Caused Iberia Blackout in First-of-Its-Kind Finding

A final report due early 2026 will examine root causes and propose voltage-control remedies.

The massive blackout, which occurred April 28, plunged Spain and Portugal into darkness

Overview

  • The interim assessment details cascading overvoltages after pre-event oscillations and control-room actions that ultimately raised system voltage.
  • Investigators did not identify the initial trigger and say some generation losses remain unexplained due to missing plant-level data and delayed third-party records.
  • ENTSO-E reports no indication of a cyberattack and says neither renewable reliance nor limited interconnections contributed to the outage.
  • Accountability remains disputed, with Redeia citing inadequate voltage support from some plants while utilities criticize the grid operator's planning and the panel's composition.
  • Spain and Portugal continue to seek EU support for new cross-border links to strengthen system resilience to future disruptions.