Investigatory efforts are intensifying following the unprecedented power outage that plunged Spain and Portugal into darkness late last month. Energy Minister Sara Aagesen revealed that the outage was triggered by a sudden loss of power generation from a substation in Granada, which was followed by failures in Badajoz and Seville. According to Aagesen, this correlated with a generation loss of two point two gigawatts of electricity, leading to widespread disconnections across the grid.

Multiple investigations are currently underway to determine the cause of the outage, marking the first instance where a specific location has been identified by Spanish authorities. Aagesen expressed that establishing the full circumstances may take time and involve complex analyses, as they sift through millions of data points relating to the events leading up to the incident.

In her statements, Aagesen dismissed claims of a cyberattack impacting the grid, as well as suggestions of imbalances in supply and demand prior to the outage. She reiterated that no prior alerts were raised about a potential blackout, countering concerns that the government had neglected warnings from experts. Meanwhile, the government is critiqued for its plans to phase out nuclear energy by two thousand thirty-five despite the blackout, as well as the predominant reliance on renewable energy sources.

Despite the scrutiny surrounding Spain’s energy policy, Aagesen defended the government’s position, noting that renewable energy has led to decreased bills for both households and businesses. She hinted at a potential openness to extending the operational life of nuclear plants, should they demonstrate reliability and affordability for consumers, ensuring national energy security moving forward.