The electricity company says the September voltage problems are not like those of the massive blackout.

MadridLast September, the Spanish electricity system operator, Red Eléctrica, recorded "sudden voltage fluctuations" in the electricity grid and asked the National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC) to approve a series of regulatory changes to strengthen the electricity system in the face of the possibility that these problems could impact the security of supply. However, Red Eléctrica assured that the anomalies recorded in September did not imply a risk of a massive power outage like the one on April 28, a statement echoed by the Association of Electric Power Companies (Aelec), the employers' association that brings together Iberdrola, Endesa, and EDP.

"We are not facing a [massive power outage] like the one on April 28," said Marta Castro, Aelec's director of regulation, during a meeting with the media on Monday morning. Castro explained that the problems reported at the end of September mean that "we are increasingly aware of what is happening in the [Spanish] electricity system." In this case, the sharp fluctuations in September are explained, according to the employers' association, by the fact that at a certain point there was an increase in the simultaneous connection of renewable energy, which lowered the voltage because there wasn't enough reactive power (which helps maintain voltage) to control it.

What solutions?

"We know where the problems lie, now we must be agile in implementing [regulatory and technical] solutions," Castro said. Despite the message of reassurance, Aelec believes urgent measures are needed, although they disagree with the strategy of the electricity system operator, Red Eléctrica. Initially, the employers' association believes that the "reinforcement mode" the Spanish electricity system has entered since last April is not a long-term solution, but rather a short-term one. Castro indicated that this "mode" is implying additional costs for the system and, therefore, for consumers, and "discourages" the energy transition, that is, the deployment of renewables.

This "boost mode" means a greater presence of combined cycle or gas-fired power plants in the electricity mix because they are plants equipped to dynamically control voltage. In this context, Aelec proposes, among other things, enabling renewable energy plants to carry out this dynamic voltage control, and in fact, some already have the capacity to do so, Castro stated. In any case, it is also recognized that it is necessary to provide the system with the necessary laws and technologies to be able to deploy this proposal on a widespread basis.