May 6, 2025
EU's Ribera warns against jumping to conclusions regarding the Iberia power outage.
Europe will take lessons from last week's blackout in Spain and Portugal regarding the importance of power storage and grid investment, according to European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera. She cautioned against jumping to conclusions about the cause of the outage.
The blackout highlighted the challenges faced by power grids due to the intermittent nature of solar and wind energy. Analysts noted that there was insufficient stable power, like gas and nuclear, available to support the grid during the incident.
Ribera expressed surprise at the quick blame placed on renewable energy for the outage, emphasizing the need to thoroughly investigate what occurred as authorities analyze data from the grid operator and power companies.
She mentioned that large-capacity batteries and methods like pumped storage hydropower can help reduce the risk of outages, and Europe needs to assess how to utilize these technologies more effectively. Ribera also emphasized the necessity of enhancing inter-state grid connections, particularly between Spain and France.
Spain's grid operator REE identified the outage's cause as two separate incidents of generation loss in southwestern Spain, though the precise locations are still unknown. Energy Minister Sara Aagesen noted that the grid had initially coped with a power generation loss 19 seconds before the blackout, which was ultimately triggered by the two later incidents.
The blackout highlighted the challenges faced by power grids due to the intermittent nature of solar and wind energy. Analysts noted that there was insufficient stable power, like gas and nuclear, available to support the grid during the incident.
Ribera expressed surprise at the quick blame placed on renewable energy for the outage, emphasizing the need to thoroughly investigate what occurred as authorities analyze data from the grid operator and power companies.
She mentioned that large-capacity batteries and methods like pumped storage hydropower can help reduce the risk of outages, and Europe needs to assess how to utilize these technologies more effectively. Ribera also emphasized the necessity of enhancing inter-state grid connections, particularly between Spain and France.
Spain's grid operator REE identified the outage's cause as two separate incidents of generation loss in southwestern Spain, though the precise locations are still unknown. Energy Minister Sara Aagesen noted that the grid had initially coped with a power generation loss 19 seconds before the blackout, which was ultimately triggered by the two later incidents.