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    Spain’s Power Grid Operator Warns of Possible New Blackout

    European Newsdesk Posted on

    MADRID: Spain’s national grid operator, Red Eléctrica, has issued a warning that the country could face another large-scale power outage after detecting “abrupt voltage variations” across the electricity network over the past two weeks.

    The alert follows six months after a massive blackout in April left around 60 million people in Spain and Portugal without power for more than 10 hours.

    According to a recent report from the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), that April incident was caused by severe overvoltage after the system failed to absorb sudden power losses.

    In a technical note sent to Spain’s energy market regulator, CNMC, Red Eléctrica cautioned that the latest fluctuations are significant enough to “impact the security of supply” unless corrective measures are adopted immediately.

    Causes and Risks

    The operator has attributed the irregularities to rapid shifts in renewable energy generation—particularly from wind and solar sources—and to the slow response of facilities designed to stabilize voltage.
    While voltage levels currently remain within legal thresholds, Red Eléctrica warned that continued instability could cause localized disconnections of power demand or generation, potentially triggering a wider system imbalance.

    To prevent another large-scale outage, the company has requested urgent technical adjustments and temporary authorizations for new operational procedures covering scheduling, voltage control, secondary regulation, and technical restrictions.
    These emergency measures would initially apply for 30 days, with the option of a 15-day extension. The CNMC has opened a public consultation period on the proposals, which will close on 15 October.

    Preparing for Potential Blackouts

    In the wake of the April blackout, the European Union urged member states to encourage citizens to maintain 72-hour emergency kits to help them cope during power disruptions or other crises.
    While not mandatory, the recommendation proved useful for residents of Spain and Portugal during last spring’s outage.

    With new instability now reported, Spanish authorities and civil protection experts are again advising households to keep a basic emergency kit on hand.
    Essential items include drinking water, non-perishable food, a first-aid kit, a flashlight, a battery-powered radio, and an external battery for mobile phones.

    Additional practical supplies—such as cash, warm clothing, candles, and matches—are also recommended in case of prolonged power cuts.

    Though officials have stressed that the grid remains stable for now, Red Eléctrica’s latest warning underscores the vulnerability of Europe’s interconnected energy networks and the growing challenge of managing fluctuating renewable power supplies.

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