May 6, 2025
French grid protection resulted in a power outage.
French grid protection successfully minimized domestic disruptions during the Iberian blackout, according to TSO RTE on Monday.
The systems in place "led to the disconnection of interconnections with Spain and prevented the incident from spreading further into Europe," the TSO stated.
The widespread power outage that impacted Iberia last week had only a "moderate" effect on the French grid, the TSO reported. It resulted in the automatic shutdown of a 1.3 GW nuclear reactor at the Golfech nuclear power plant and brief power cuts for industrial and residential users in the French Basque region.
Spain’s energy ministry mentioned that the governments of Spain and France will enhance their collaboration to investigate the causes of the blackout.
The TSO indicated, "Thorough technical and scientific analyses of such large-scale events are time-consuming," noting this would take "several weeks."
The European transmission operators’ association, Entso-E, is expected to release a comprehensive report within six months, requiring Spanish and Portuguese TSOs to provide detailed system data within three months.
At the time of the incident, approximately 70% of Spain's power generation came from wind and solar. While this was not unprecedented, RTE emphasized that investigations should determine if the high percentage of renewable energy contributed to the situation.
The systems in place "led to the disconnection of interconnections with Spain and prevented the incident from spreading further into Europe," the TSO stated.
The widespread power outage that impacted Iberia last week had only a "moderate" effect on the French grid, the TSO reported. It resulted in the automatic shutdown of a 1.3 GW nuclear reactor at the Golfech nuclear power plant and brief power cuts for industrial and residential users in the French Basque region.
Spain’s energy ministry mentioned that the governments of Spain and France will enhance their collaboration to investigate the causes of the blackout.
The TSO indicated, "Thorough technical and scientific analyses of such large-scale events are time-consuming," noting this would take "several weeks."
The European transmission operators’ association, Entso-E, is expected to release a comprehensive report within six months, requiring Spanish and Portuguese TSOs to provide detailed system data within three months.
At the time of the incident, approximately 70% of Spain's power generation came from wind and solar. While this was not unprecedented, RTE emphasized that investigations should determine if the high percentage of renewable energy contributed to the situation.