The power companies attribute the blackout to "poor management" by Red Eléctrica.

BarcelonaThe electricity companies' association Aelec, which includes Iberdrola, Endesa and EDP Spain, pointed this Monday to "poor management" by Red Eléctrica as the main cause of the massive blackout on April 28. A report by the association, prepared by Inesc Tec and Compass Lexecon with data from its members – who represent 45% of the installed capacity and 78% of the distribution networks – warns of "poor programming of conventional generation", such as nuclear, combined cycle gas, coal and large hydroelectric plants.

Thus, the association responds to the REE report and asserts that the company is "solely responsible" for the power outage, emphasizing that the "main" cause was a "serious failure in voltage control." According to Marta Castro, director of regulation at Aelec, the cause of the blackout lies in Red Eléctrica's failure to activate "each and every one of the available resources" to prevent these voltage fluctuations, which had already been recorded hours or days before the blackout. "We regret that Red Eléctrica has leveled accusations at the electricity companies, and has also failed to provide analysis or data on the event," the association asserts.

Overvoltage problems

The overvoltage in the transmission grid only appears in Aelec's analysis, which states that these episodes "have increased in recent years." The system's voltage control system was "poorly distributed" and had less capacity in the south of the Peninsula, where the first disconnections occurred. The obligation to perform dynamic voltage control, a requirement that conventional plants, such as nuclear, combined cycle gas, coal, and large hydroelectric plants, do have. and April 24, there were already significant episodes of overvoltage in the transmission grid," the report says. "The fluctuations on April 28 were not normal and REE's maneuvers on the transmission lines weakened the system (it further worsened voltage control in the face of fluctuations), the connection of existing overvoltage lines minutes before the blackout," the text points out.

On the other hand, García added that on the day of the blackout "conversations between the control centers show that Red Eléctrica was aware of it and that there was concern about these voltage fluctuations when the 12 noon occurred. another of the experts, and there was little capacity to control this increase in voltage. On the other hand, he pointed out that the interconnection mode with France was also changed, something that they also believe should be studied in depth. "limited," this expert explained. "With this, we do not mean that REE's actions were inadequate, but we were already starting from a complicated overvoltage situation," they say.

The disconnection of the plants

For the major utilities, the initial disconnections—which, according to REE, involved approximately 2,000 megawatts (MW) of renewable generation in 20 seconds—reveal "a systemic voltage control problem." In this regard, Aelec partners point out that they were disconnected "correctly" and add that "it is difficult to explain why all these plants were improperly disconnected, given that they are so widely distributed across the country."

Likewise, the report believes that operations in the days following the blackout, with greater conventional generation—especially in combined cycles—have reduced voltage fluctuations by between 37% and 52%. "That day we were traveling very fast on the highway without seatbelts, and since April 28th, we have put our seatbelts on, and the surges have been reduced by 50%," Castro added.

In short, the employers' association criticizes the report presented last week by Red Eléctrica for "presenting serious gaps and unsubstantiated accusations," adding to the fact that "only REE has the real data." According to the association, this "evidences that there is a conflict of interest."

The CNMC raises its finger

For its part, the National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC) agreed to measures to prohibit retailers with fixed-price electricity supply contracts from changing prices, following the increase in costs recorded in the operation of the electricity system following the April 28 blackout. In a statement, the regulator indicates that it has adopted an agreement on the possibility of unilaterally modifying electricity supply contracts by retailers in this context.

In this regard, the CNMC indicates that some retailers are raising the possibility of modifying the terms of their fixed-price contracts to pass this cost increase on to consumers. This behavior is allegedly supported by the existence of clauses in the contract that enable retailers to modify supply conditions at any time during its term, with the sole condition that the consumer is notified of the modification with a specified notice period, during which they are offered the option to terminate the contract.

Thus, the agency reminds that any change in the price for the consumer "implies that they must be provided with adequate and transparent information about the reasons and amounts" before the new contract comes into effect. Therefore, it warns that any modification to a fixed-price contract, beyond that corresponding to an expected variation in the regulated components of the bill, "would not be in accordance with the clauses of the contract."

In response to these measures imposed by the CNMC, the energy sector associations ACE, ACIE, AEGE, and Aelec have requested, as a first urgent measure, that REE publish "immediately" the additional cost generated by the "reinforced operation" situation following the blackout, compared to a normal situation. The entities request to be informed "for how long it will be in force, so that marketers and consumers have the necessary visibility to make informed decisions based on public data." Thus, they expressed in a statement on Monday "their deep concern about the exceptional situation facing the electrical system" following the blackout.