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2h ago

Spain Blames Technical Failures for April Blackout, Rules Out Cyberattack

The government calls for infrastructure upgrades to prevent voltage surges with strengthened oversight to boost grid stability.

FILE - A bus drives in downtown Madrid during a major power outage, Monday, April 28, 2025.
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High-voltage transmission towers carrying electricity from Spain to Portugal are pictured near the border, in Lindoso, Portugal, on April 28, 2025
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Overview

  • An official report released June 17 attributes the April 28 Iberian outage to a voltage surge and cascading grid failures caused by technical and planning errors.
  • The blackout eliminated about 15 gigawatts—nearly 60% of Spain’s power—and left regions of Spain and Portugal without electricity for hours, halting transport and communications.
  • Investigators found that Red Eléctrica’s insufficient dynamic voltage control stemmed from too few thermal power stations online and inadequate contingency planning.
  • Spain’s national security agencies confirmed there was no foreign cyber-sabotage, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez defended continuing the nation’s renewable energy transition.
  • The report urges infrastructure upgrades, tighter supervisory requirements and expanded cross-border interconnections to strengthen grid resilience ahead of the 2030 renewable goal.