Engineers warn: the critical situation in the electricity grid puts the economy, industry and the energy transition at risk

BarcelonaOn April 28th of last year, Spain and Portugal were plunged into darkness in the largest mass blackout in European history. Subsequently, data provided by electricity distributors revealed that the electrical grid is operating at over 80% capacity. Now, industrial engineers in Catalonia have issued a warning: the "critical situation" of the distribution network jeopardizes the economy, industry, and even the energy transition itself.

The College of Industrial Engineers of Catalonia has publicly warned of the "growing weakness" of the electricity distribution network in Catalonia. This, the College indicates, "compromises" industrial competitiveness and the capacity to meet new electricity demand. This stance follows up on the report prepared by the College's experts in April 2023, entitled Electricity distribution network conditions to enable the energy transitionwhich already warned of the gap between the needs of the new decarbonized energy model and current regulations. Two years later, according to experts from the Energy Commission of the College of Engineers, "the situation has not only not been corrected, but has worsened." According to the engineers, the general blackout of April 28, 2025, highlighted the weakness of the grid in several aspects, especially in voltage management and reactive power absorption. The current grid configuration is not suitable for operating in a context of increasingly distributed, renewable, and intermittent generation, which increases its management complexity. "The growing difficulties in expanding capacity and connecting new demand demonstrate that the distribution network can no longer absorb either current or future needs," the College states in a press release, and describes the situation as "especially worrying" in areas with a large industrial presence, such as the Tarragona region.

The College is calling on all stakeholders in the system to act "responsibly and swiftly" to provide urgent responses to the economic and social challenges posed. The data published by the distribution companies last September They indicate that 83.4% of the nodes in the distribution network are already saturated.This prevents new demand from being connected until the necessary investments are made. In Catalonia, the access capacity of 25 kV nodes (key for small and medium-sized industries) has fallen by 36.1% in just three years, with a reduction of 3.5 GW of available capacity, according to the College.

A model that hinders investment

Experts from the College point out that the current regulatory framework does not create adequate incentives to drive the necessary investments in the electricity distribution network. The annual investment limit established in Royal Decree 1048/2013 is about to be reached, which necessitates a review of the current restrictions if a network prepared for the challenges of the 2026-2032 period is to be guaranteed. In this regard, industrial engineers advocate for a rethinking of the network remuneration system, incorporating mechanisms that recognize anticipatory investments, network digitalization, and the increasingly active role of distribution as a system operator (DSO). Given this scenario, the Energy Commission of the College of Industrial Engineers of Catalonia recommends realistic and coordinated planning, both at the national and Catalan levels, aligned with European standards, to provide certainty to the stakeholders who must undertake the necessary investments. It also believes a review of the criteria and methodologies for calculating grid access and connection capacity is necessary, along with the incorporation of monitoring principles, active management, and streamlined administration to avoid unnecessary bottlenecks. Furthermore, the College recommends reinforcing the grid with additional equipment, especially focused on voltage and reactive power management, to prevent incidents like the blackout of April 28th. "The rollout of the energy transition and the electrification of the economy will only be possible with a robust, modern, and well-planned distribution network. Without a network, there is no transition," concludes the College's Energy Commission.