Spain’s government has denied reports that an “experiment” on the national power grid caused the massive blackout that crippled the Iberian Peninsula on April 28. Responding to The Telegraph, which cited EU sources alleging that officials were testing the limits of renewable energy use ahead of the country’s planned nuclear phase-out, Ecological Transition Minister Sara Aagesen called the claim “totally false.”
“There was no experiment,” Aagesen told parliament, warning against assigning blame before the investigation concludes. Beatriz Corredor, head of Spain’s electricity operator REE, also dismissed the report, stating there was “no excess of renewable energy” or cyberattack, but rather a failure by conventional energy plants to properly regulate voltage.
Nonetheless, the incident has drawn fierce criticism. Conservative leaders accused Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of recklessness for accelerating the green transition without ensuring a secure energy mix. Despite the blackout—which cut power, transport, and communications across Spain and Portugal—Sánchez doubled down, insisting Spain “will not deviate even a millimeter” from its green model.
The outage, which prompted a state of emergency in eight regions, caused an estimated €4.5 billion in damages. An official report may take up to six months to complete.
