Spain and Portugal create a joint committee to determine the causes of the mass blackout

The government authorities of Spain and Portugal announced the creation of a joint tracking team to determine the causes of the unprecedented blackout that left the Iberian Peninsula without electricity for several hours last Monday.

The measure was communicated after a meeting between the Spanish minister for the ecological transition, Sara Aagesen, and the Portuguese Secretary of Environment and Energy, María da Graça Carvalho. In a press release, disseminated by various news agencies, it was confirmed that the Committee will have the participation of senior officials in the energy area of ​​both countries, with the aim of expediting the corresponding investigations.

Aagesen said that the agreement “not only considers a data exchange, but also the collaboration to identify the incident, its cause, and above all, establish the necessary measures to prevent it from being repeated again.” For his part, Da Graça Carvalho explained that the Portuguese authorities will keep Commercial electricity exchanges suspended “As a precaution” and until the origin of the cut is definitively clarified.

Both officials also agreed that Spain and Portugal will work in a coordinated manner in the preparation of the reports that must be submitted to European agencies such as Entso-E and the European Commission. They announced that next week they will celebrate a video call in order to “intensify government contacts to the highest level.”

Economic losses for the blackout in Spain

Until now, official information on the origin of the so -called “energy zero” has not been issued in the Peninsula, an event that, according to experts, is exceptional and rare, although it is part of the security mechanisms of the electrical system. In recent days, Red Eléctrica, the Spanish public company responsible for operating the transmission network, preliminarily ruled out that the blackout was due to cyber attack, a human failure or unusual weather conditions. The company indicated that the incident could have originated in two episodes of “generation disconnection”, possibly related to the volatility inherent to renewable sources.

Pedro Sánchez, president of the Spanish Government, denied that the high use of clean energy or the weak connection with the European electricity grid have been the main causes of the ruling. “Our system has operated normally on multiple occasions. It was not an excess of renewables or a coverage problem. What happened should never be repeated,” he said. The president suggested that the interruption It could be due to inappropriate management of electric flow. For his part, Luís Montenegro, Prime Minister of Portugal, recently stated that “everything points” to the blackout originating in Spanish territory, although he avoided ruling on the specific reasons.

In the midst of uncertainty, economists began to outline the first estimates on the economic impact of the blackout on the Spanish economy. According to local media, the Association of Autonomous Workers (ATA) estimates that losses could amount to 1.3 billion euros, “with special affectation in hospitality and trade.” In turn, the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE) estimates that damage would reach 1.5 billion dollars, which It would represent a reduction of 0.1 points in the gross domestic product of the country.

María Jesús Montero, the first vice president of the Spanish Government, told a press conference this Friday that the authorities have committed to “reach the bottom, reach the truth” about the causes of the electricity cut. He assured that the administration will make public all the findings that arise from the investigations. He stressed that, around the incident, there are multiple interest at stake, so it is essential to distinguish between the general interest, that the Government seeks to safeguard, and the particular interests of private or state companies. “All statements must be analyzed cautiously. There are many compensation in dispute. Companies try to defend their position. [Es responsabilidad del Gobierno] Reach the truth to know what happened and, where appropriate, debug responsibilities, ”he concluded.