Else Beekman
On Monday 28 April, Spain was hit by an unprecedented blackout. Millions were left without electricity for hours. Trains stopped, shops closed their doors, and even phone networks and internet access failed. What began as a technical glitch quickly turned into a national issue. More than an incident, it served as a warning: Spain’s electricity system shows signs of strain under the pressure of the green energy transition.
While the exact cause is still under investigation, preliminary reports suggest the event followed a sudden disconnection of solar power facilities in the southwest of the country. In just a few seconds, Spain lost 15 gigawatts of generating capacity—over 60% of national demand at that moment. The system couldn’t absorb the shock: it lost balance and largely shut itself down.
Grid operator Red Eléctrica has ruled out cyberattacks or weather events as the cause, instead pointing to a deeper issue: a lack of flexibility in Spain’s energy system.
Plenty of sun, not enough backup
Spain is a European frontrunner when it comes to renewables. In 2024, more than half of its electricity came from clean sources like solar, wind, and hydropower. But that success comes with a new challenge: volatility. Renewable power is less predictable, and if the sun disappears or something goes wrong, the grid must be able to compensate instantly. That’s where Spain is falling short.
Internal reports from Red Eléctrica and the energy regulator CNMC have, for years, warned of underinvestment in energy storage and fallback capacity. Interconnections with other countries also remain limited, leaving Spain—quite literally—an energy island.
Poorly connected to Europe
Unlike Denmark or Germany, which can import or export power with neighbours when needed, Spain has little room to manoeuvre. Just 2.8% of its grid is connected to France, well below the EU’s 2030 target of 15%. A new undersea cable through the Bay of Biscay is in development but has been delayed, partly due to French reluctance. This lack of integration leaves Spain dangerously exposed.
According to early analyses, the blackout may have been triggered by the sudden loss of solar input from facilities in southwestern regions such as Extremadura. While this has not yet been officially confirmed, experts point to one undeniable fact: there was no plan B. No external imports, no storage, no conventional backup. The result was a nationwide blackout.
Political unease and public debate
The outage has triggered political fallout. The opposition Partido Popular accuses the Sánchez government of long-term negligence and is calling for a full parliamentary inquiry. Prime Minister Sánchez maintains that the cause is technical, not political, and says speculation is premature while investigations are ongoing. On Wednesday morning, three days after the crisis.Beatriz Corredor, chair of Redeia (parent company of Red Eléctrica), finally broke her silence in a radio interview, stating: “I’m not stepping down. We’ve done good work here.”
She also stressed that the exact cause is still unclear, and that blaming renewables is unfair. “We have the best system in Europe”, she repeated various times. Still, the balance between sustainability and reliability is now firmly in the spotlight.
Awaiting investigation results
The European Commission has given Spain three months to submit a detailed report on what happened and how it plans to prevent future incidents. Brussels will also carry out its own independent evaluation. At home, a parliamentary committee is examining the role of public authorities, regulators, and private operators.
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