Catalan industry and commerce restart after the massive shutdown

TarragonaCatalan industry was beginning to get back on track this Tuesday, following Monday's unprecedented power outage, when a large portion of industries, especially those in the electro-intensive sector, saw their production halted. This is the case, for example, at Seat, Catalonia's largest company, or at the petrochemical plant in Tarragona, where torches were lit as a safety measure when production was halted.

Sources at Seat explained that the Martorell plant was without power until 1:00 a.m., and that on Tuesday morning the first shift returned to work as normal, and the factory began to restart with the aim of reaching 100% operation during the day. The automotive company confirmed that production had already begun.

The other Catalan automotive company, Ebro Factory—at the former Nissan plant in the Zona Franca—also resumed production with the first shift this morning, at 6:20 a.m. Yesterday, due to the blackout, production was suspended on the second shift, from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., according to company sources. Once the power supply was restored, the technical teams reactivated the systems and production of the Ebro S700 and S800 models began again, at the usual rate of sixty cars per day.

At the Tarragona petrochemical plant, the blackout forced the suspension of production at industrial estates, in an unprecedented stoppage, both in terms of the number of companies without power and the number of hours the outage lasted. Power returned during the early hours of the morning, and companies began resuming operations to restore production.

As soon as the power outage occurred, around 12:30 p.m., an impressive column of smoke could be seen rising from the chimneys of the Repsol petrochemical plant in Camp de Tarragona. Some people were frightened, and images of the plume of smoke circulated in chats between neighbors and acquaintances, but many other citizens are already familiar with the safety protocol: when an accident or unplanned stoppage occurs, production is immediately halted, and the products being processed are burned from safety torches to ensure no accidents occur. The measure, which on a clear day like yesterday caused a disturbing column of smoke for the population, is also worrying for the chemical companies themselves, as it represents a significant financial loss.

The Tarragona Chemical Companies Association (AEQT) issued a statement today, Tuesday, assuring that "the incident did not affect the safety of people or the facilities" and confirming that all "protocols established for this type of incident" were followed. The AEQT warns that while the factories resume production, "isolated flare-up episodes may still occur in the torch, which will gradually subside as the various facilities are fully operational."

Sources at Repsol have indicated that once the power supply has been gradually restored, commissioning work has begun, starting with basic services and supplies. Once services are restored, the various production units will be restarted in stages. During this period, occasional flares may still occur (initially without visible smoke), which will gradually subside as the start-ups are completed.

The Catalan chemical company Ercros had to halt production, and between Tuesday and Wednesday, the company's ten factories will be restarted. During the blackout, all factories were placed on safety standstill, and Ercros workers remained behind to carry out preparation and cleaning tasks for the restart, Ercros sources explained to ARA.

Sources at Mercabarna, meanwhile, explained to ARA that the blackout had a minor impact on the main wholesale market. Thus, there was a fruit and vegetable market on Monday, but when the power went out, 85% of the products had already been sold, and since the power came back on at around 4:20 p.m. at the facilities, the products could be refrigerated. This Tuesday, the fruit and vegetable market was operating normally, albeit with some delays due to some trucks arriving later than scheduled. As for this Tuesday, the fish market operated normally—there is no fish market on Monday—except for a small shipment from the Basque Country that did not arrive on time. Furthermore, due to poor communications, some telephone orders could not be processed, which may have resulted in a 10% drop in expected sales.

Supermarkets and small businesses

The massive blackout was also particularly difficult for some supermarket and grocery chains, as those without power generators lost stock due to disruptions in their cold storage and frozen food chains. Roger Gaspa, president of the Council of Food Distribution Companies of Catalonia (CEDAC), assured ARA that they have not quantified the stock losses because "it is still too early," and that for now the priority is "returning to normal."

Today, Gaspa says, "practically 100% of supermarkets have been able to open in Catalonia," and throughout the morning, logistics chains have been recovering, "because many were unable to place orders yesterday, so consumers may have found empty shelves" in the early hours. According to Gaspa, the forecast is that we will be back to near-normal as of this afternoon. Gaspa also emphasized that "at no time has the supply to the public been put at risk." Regarding hoarding, "the feeling is that citizens behaved extraordinarily well yesterday," he stated.

Pimec Comerç members across the country say they have power again, but some establishments suffered "outages of more than ten hours, which have led to product waste." They also point out that "insurance coverage" is of particular concern. Likewise, some areas experienced water outages due to failed pumping systems.

The SME association warns that "many businesses still do not have a stable connection for the POS terminal" and that "automatic shutters and doors are preventing opening in some cases." Furthermore, "retailers report delays in receiving institutional information and are asking for aid for the damage" suffered yesterday.