Trending 
Spain’s national grid operator sought to ease concerns on Wednesday over a recent internal report that flagged the possibility of power cuts due to the country’s heavy reliance on renewable energy. The reassurance followed one of the worst blackouts in recent Iberian history, which left large parts of Spain and Portugal without electricity on Monday, affecting communications, public transport, and daily life.
Although the cause of the outage remains unclear, the parent company of the national grid, Redeia (formerly Red Eléctrica de España, or REE), had noted in its 2024 annual financial report that the increasing share of renewable energy — without sufficient technical safeguards — could trigger electricity production disruptions. The report warned that such disruptions could become severe and destabilise the balance between supply and demand.
Despite this, Redeia’s president Beatriz Corredor dismissed any suggestion that Monday’s outage was tied to renewable energy use. Speaking on Cadena Ser radio, she said it was “not true” to link the incident to Spain’s renewable energy transition, calling it a misinterpretation of the report. She reiterated that renewable sources are “safe” and now operate in a way that is nearly equivalent to conventional power plants.
Corredor emphasised that the report was legally required to outline all theoretical risks, and not a prediction of actual problems. She explained that mechanisms are already in place to ensure renewable energy can function reliably within the grid.
In its annual report, Redeia also highlighted other concerns, including the closure of traditional gas and coal plants, which it said could make energy management more complex and increase operational constraints. It further noted the potential threat of cyber incidents that could damage infrastructure or compromise the power supply. While Spain’s top criminal court is investigating whether Monday’s blackout may have been a cyberattack, REE has officially ruled out that possibility.
