Spain is rapidly increasing its reliance on natural gas following a massive blackout that exposed the vulnerabilities of its renewable-heavy power grid. The April 28 outage plunged nearly the entire Iberian Peninsula into darkness, disrupting transportation, communications, and essential services. The incident has prompted a reevaluation of Spain’s energy strategy, highlighting the need for reliable backup power sources.
The blackout occurred when Spain lost approximately 60% of its electricity supply within seconds, leading to a cascading failure across the grid. At the time, solar and wind energy accounted for a significant portion of the power mix, with solar alone providing around 59% of electricity. The sudden drop in generation overwhelmed the grid’s capacity to maintain stability, resulting in widespread outages.
In response, Spain has significantly boosted output from combined-cycle gas turbines (CCGTs), which offer more stable and controllable power generation. Data from grid operator Red Eléctrica show that CCGT output jumped 37% in the two weeks following the blackout compared to the two weeks prior. On the day after the outage, CCGT production soared to 216 gigawatt-hours, a 157% increase from the previous day.
The blackout has reignited debates over Spain’s energy policy, particularly its plans to phase out nuclear power by 2035 and increase renewable energy to 81% by 2030. Critics argue that the incident demonstrates the risks of overreliance on intermittent renewable sources without adequate backup. They advocate for a more balanced energy mix that includes stable baseload sources like natural gas and nuclear power.
Spain and Portugal have jointly urged the European Union to expedite the development of electricity interconnectors with France to enhance grid resilience. Currently, only 3% of Iberia’s electricity capacity is connected to the rest of Europe, far below the EU’s 15% target. Improved interconnections could help stabilize the grid by allowing for more flexible energy imports and exports.
