Nationwide power outages throughout Spain and Portugal
led to widespread disruptions across both countries, with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez attributing the unprecedented event to “a significant fluctuation” in the power grid.
Although Sanchez maintained that the exact reason for the power outage remained uncertain, his
Portuguese
Luis Montenegro, his counterpart, stated that there was “no evidence” of a cyberattack occurring.
Nevertheless, Portugal’s grid operator REN took it a step further by attributing the issue to Spain’s electrical network along with an unusual meteorological event.
The operator mentioned that significant fluctuations in temperatures within the nation caused “abnormal vibrations” in extremely high-voltage lines.
However, what exactly does this imply? And why did the blackout affect an entire peninsula?
The i Paper
talked to energy specialists to learn more.
Is REN’s claim true?
Sanchez stated that officials do “not yet possess definitive details regarding the causes” of the extensive power outage.
Dr. Jacopo Torriti from the University of
Reading
mentioned that it was “too early” for REN to announce the reason for the blackout publicly.
“It could take several days to determine the reasons behind a blackout… I’d suggest taking what the Portuguese mentioned with a grain of salt,” he advised.
The i Paper
.
Professor Chenghong Gu from the University of Bath stated that the “anomalous oscillations” phenomenon is actually quite common and expressed doubt about REN’s theory.
“These power systems ought to be tailored to account for these fluctuations and various weather conditions, including extreme ones,” he stated.
At the same time, Dr. Jenny Baker, who works alongside Gu at Bath University, pointed out that they aren’t certain whether “a single issue” led to the power outage or “whether several factors were involved.”
Gu clarified that operators should achieve “N-1 security,” which means they must handle any singular service disruption and manage an additional issue within the system. Nonetheless, when multiple problems occur simultaneously, this could lead to a more significant complication.
La Vanguardia
The newspaper suggested that a breakdown in the connection between Spain’s and France’s power grids could also be at fault.
In simple terms, what do unusual fluctuations refer to?
Unusual fluctuations occur during significant shifts in temperature, causing instability in air pressure around suspension wires.
Torriti stated, “A rapid shift in temperature would lead to an alteration in atmospheric pressure. This change could exert significant physical stress and movement on the cables, potentially causing them to elongate or rupture.”
Blackouts frequently occur due to power cables, particularly during storms,” he noted. “Since they are exposed, they can be easily damaged.
Torriti cautioned that the cables “are extremely secure,” emphasizing once more that they must be designed to endure these fluctuations in temperature.
Gu mentioned that elevated temperatures might lead to what is referred to as the “corona effect” on transmission lines. This phenomenon has the potential to induce oscillations in the conductors—these being the components that link power lines to towers.
This vibration may lead to conductor fatigue, alterations in their properties, and in extremely rare instances, conductor failure.
The stability of power systems is highly susceptible to these vibrations… In extreme cases, the system frequency might plummet too far down, necessitating the disconnection of some customers to restore equilibrium between supply and demand.
What caused the extensive power outage?
Torriti mentioned that both the Spanish and Portuguese follow the same grid system, further stating, “Given this shared infrastructure, it’s entirely unsurprising that issues with power generation in Spain could impact Portugal.”
Baker, on the other hand, mentioned that grid operators are “maintaining an extremely narrow range of frequencies, close to 50 Hz.” She clarifies that if the frequency falls below this level, the operator must sever connections for some consumers.
She mentioned that if the grid was already “close to the limit” concerning the Hz threshold — perhaps due to insufficient power supply — then a problem like unusual fluctuations could trigger widespread subsequent impacts.
Gu outlined a “domino effect” where deviating from the ideal 50 Hz frequency can result in disconnecting specific localized consumer areas to restore the system’s frequency to the appropriate range.
If the frequency does not return to approximately 50 Hz, a broader region will be disconnected from the grid, leading to an escalation where eventually, an entire peninsula might lose electricity.
The power grids across European Union nations are connected,” he mentioned. “This implies that all these networks are synchronized. In case of any issues arising in one section of this network, the impact could swiftly spread to other areas.
Gu clarified that these disconnections of homes from the power grid happen “spontaneously” whenever the frequency strays too much from 50 Hz. He added, “This disconnection can’t be controlled once it starts. The configurations for all this were established many years back.”
What led to the absence of a backup plan?
Interconnected power grids, such as those in Spain and Portugal, ought to theoretically provide dependable backup options.
If any problems arise within a single grid, other grids can offer immediate support,” Gu explained. “This interconnected network enhances overall dependability since the entire system’s resources can be utilized across all grids in these nations.
Although there isn’t an official clarification regarding the lack of a proper contingency plan, he suggested this might have resulted from an “operational mistake” or because the backup systems were possibly “being serviced.”
Is it possible in the UK?
Torriti indicated that the extensive power outage experienced across the Iberian Peninsula might also happen in the UK. Nevertheless, he noted that such an event would be less probable.
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We possess two strategies to mitigate the effects of these occurrences. The first is the capacity market, set to launch this summer in Spain; however, we’ve been utilizing it since 2012.
In severe conditions, the UK’s National Grid might send out a capacity alert, prompting us to activate any accessible power sources—such as keeping gas-powered plants ready—if supply doesn’t meet the demand.
The root cause might still be present, but you have the potential to produce enough power… This decreases the likelihood immediately following the event [of a blackout] of lacking adequate energy.
He mentioned as well that the UK has a “black start procedure,” which aids in bringing electrical power plants back online without depending on outside electricity supplied through the grid for recovery.