Spain’s power grid operator and electricity companies traded blame on Wednesday over the April blackout that crippled the Iberian Peninsula, a day after a long-awaited government report highlighted their responsibility.
The 15-hour outage, one of the worst in European history, has reignited concerns over Spain’s fragile energy system and its ideological push to abandon reliable sources like nuclear in favour of intermittent renewables.
The blackout was triggered by a grid “overvoltage” that set off a chain reaction across Spain and Portugal. According to the government, Red Eléctrica (REE) had lowered its capacity to manage voltage fluctuations, while major power companies disconnected plants to avoid damage—worsening the crisis.
REE says the blackout could have been avoided if companies like Iberdrola and Endesa had fulfilled their legal obligations. But the companies hit back, claiming REE ignored available resources and failed to act.
As politicians push ahead with their green agenda, Spaniards are left to wonder: how many more blackouts will it take before energy reliability is taken seriously?
