Competition points to Red Eléctrica for its role during the blackout and opens 19 proceedings against energy plants

BarcelonaA few days before the first anniversary of the electrical blackout on April 28th, new details about its possible causes continue to emerge. This Friday, the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC) explained that it has initiated several sanctioning proceedings to determine the circumstances of the blackout. Thus, the regulatory body assures that, as a result of the investigations, "various indications of non-compliance" have been detected, some of which have been maintained for "prolonged periods of time," which could constitute administrative infractions.

Specifically, Competition points out that Red Eléctrica may have failed to comply with its functions as an operator "to the detriment of the system or parties involved," which could constitute a very serious infraction. Furthermore, it has also focused on the management of 19 energy plants belonging to Endesa, Naturgy, Iberdrola, and Repsol. The non-compliance of these, however, would not have posed "a risk to the guarantee of supply," which would entail only serious infractions. Among the list, two proceedings stand out against the Ascó-Vandellòs II Nuclear Association, which is jointly operated by Endesa and Iberdrola. Also included is a possible infraction by a plant of Bahía de Bizkaia Electricidad, which is partly owned by the Basque government through the Basque Energy Agency (EVE).

However, as indicated by the CNMC, "the facts subject to these proceedings do not, in themselves, imply the attribution of the origin or cause of the blackout to the affected companies, given that the incident responded to a multifactorial origin." According to the body, the incident took place after a time series of events "progressively unbalanced" the system, which ended with an electrical zero due to overvoltage; the facts under investigation "would have affected the functioning of the electrical system" and are considered relevant "from the perspective of sectoral electrical regulations."

a study by the European Network of Transmission System Operators also concluded that the disconnection was due to "multiple factors"Various causes

A few weeks ago a study by the European Network of Transmission System Operators also concluded that the disconnection was due to "multiple factors" that are "interconnected", such as "voltage oscillations", "cascading generator disconnections", and "overvoltages". The report, prepared by 45 experts, stated that the blackout occurred in a matter of seconds and after a rapid increase in voltage in the Iberian electrical system, which led to a chain disconnection of generation plants, especially renewables. Despite this, they did not link the incident to these energies: "It was not a problem with renewables, but with voltage control".

Also in recent days, within the framework of the investigation commission in the Senate, various audio transcripts have emerged that would point to problems in the electrical grid months before the incident.various audio transcripts that would point to problems in the electrical grid months before the incident. "We have a problem with voltages, we have a brutal problem, everything is very low. You have to help us", they warned Red Eléctrica from the distribution control center in Seville weeks before the blackout, specifically on April 7, 2025. According to these same transcripts, the situation warned about by the Seville control center was not exceptional: "Yes, we are like this all over Spain", assured Red Eléctrica.

The "multifactorial" origin of the blackout has meant that the responsibility for the disconnection has not yet been clarified. While the European report indicated that the errors were made by the electricity companies, large generation plants, renewables that were improperly disconnected, and the Spanish electrical system operator (Red Eléctrica), major electricity companies such as Endesa and Iberdrola have insisted on pointing to Red Eléctrica as responsible for the incident. In fact, in the same Senate investigation commission, the two companies indicated that the operator did not act with "sufficient agility" and that it was an "planning error".