Who pays the costs of being without electricity?

On Monday, we were stunned. Suddenly, we found ourselves without electricity or telephone coverage, something unprecedented in the country in recent decades. Luckily, it only lasted 10 hours; otherwise, the economic consequences would have been exponential. And who pays for all this?

Let's start with the businesses. According to the CEOE (Spanish Economic Commission for Spain), the losses or lost profits in a single day amount to 1.6 billion euros. Estimates will vary among organizations as the days go by. The truth is that work was stopped, production lines were halted, and even raw materials were damaged. For workers, the law provides for up to four days of paid leave (by the company) in case they cannot be at work for reasons beyond their control, such as losing power. The vast majority of these costs will become losses for the businesses themselves.

Let's continue with individuals. Will they deduct the hours we were without electricity, phone coverage, or water in some areas from our bills, or will no one take responsibility? Furthermore, the vast majority of insurance policies cover between €200 and €500 worth of spoiled food in cases like the blackout. The amount we reported is presumed to be true, and therefore, despite not having the receipts (as is logical), they must pay us the amount.

Finally, we end with the administration. So far, the population doesn't know the causes of this blackout, nor whether it could happen again tomorrow. No one has resigned, nor has anyone come forward to provide any real explanations. While the population and businesses suffer the losses and consequences, it seems that for the administration, the costs don't exist. As always, we pretend that the losses are private and the benefits public.