The Spanish power cut highlights the fundamental weakness of the EU electrical network

The massive power failure in Spain and Portugal This week raised the question of whether the Europe's electricity network is ready for rapid electrification and the rise of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energy called by EU climate policy and more and more considered as a geopolitical imperative.

A theory that gained ground in the hours that followed the power failure just after 12:30 p.m. Monday is that the collapse was triggered by the failure of a high voltage power line between France and Spain.

It is certainly the theory pushed by the association of the Eurellectric electricity company. “Monday, April 28, between 12:38 pm and 1:30 pm CE, the Spain's transmission system was disconnected from the European network at the level of 400 kV due to a problem with a power line connecting French and Spanish Catalonia,” the industry group said on Tuesday.

“The defect has triggered a Domino disturbing electricity supply not only in Spain but also in Portugal, Andorra, and in certain parts of France,” said Eurelectric.

Why has happened has not yet been clarified. Briefing journalists, an energy official of the European Commission, said that EU regulations require that operators in the transmission system (TSO) be involved in the incident to conduct a detailed investigation and produce a report in the six months.

One thing seems clear, however: there was no shortage of electricity for a few moments before the accident, when solar energy alone covered more than half of the demand, and the excess power was exported to France via a high tension interconnection of 2.8 GW. It remains to establish exactly what has triggered a precipitated closure of solar energy – more than 10 GW in a few minutes – and all the other sources of the generation mixture.

Electric islands

The European Commission has acknowledged that the European electrical network is not suitable for the objective and will have to be built quickly in accordance with increasing demand, driven largely by the planned electrification of sectors which have traditionally been supplied by fossil fuels: electric cars replacing petrol and diesel models and heat pumps replacing gas boilers.

In the proper industrial agreement published in February, the director of the EU promised to deliver a “scales package” at the beginning of 2026, which should put legislative flesh on the bones of an “action plan” delivered at the end of 2023. It now aims to present the package towards the end of this year.

Electricity companies are among those who push the UE to make decisive measures. “As the company is increasingly based on electricity, it is crucial that electricity is reliable,” said Eurelectric Secretary General Kristian Ruby.

As part of the current objective, all EU countries should have set up internal and transversal power lines capable of importing or exporting 15% of their national production capacity.

The European Commission estimates that this could cost 584 billion euros, said that the EU executive said that in its last annual energy review “could put the current model for refinancing these investments thanks to pressure consumer prices”.

To worsen things, such as the Climate Action Network Europe campaign group recently notedThe 11 countries that have not yet reached the target of 15% shelter 86% of the EU wind and solar capacities.

In addition to isolated Cyprus and Ireland, the first power line to the EU (now the United Kingdom no longer counts) is under construction, Spain is the most distant from the 2030 connection objective.

It is currently on 4%, a point behind the compatriots of Greece, Italy and Poland, although a second link with France, under the bay of Bisque, or in construction and due online in 2028.

“Generalized breakdowns like this have practically always been triggered by failures of the transmission network – not by generation, renewable or other energies,” said Michael Hogan, senior advisor to the regulatory assistance project, an NGO specializing in energy policy.

The extent to which its relative isolation of the European network has contributed to the reduction of disastrous power should be established in the coming weeks, but it undoubtedly prevents excess green electricity channeled towards other parts of Europe which could use it to replace the production of coal or gas.

Huge quantities of energy and money are wasted each year when the solar networks are extended or the wind turbines brought to the stop simply because there is nowhere where electricity.

France, where nuclear energy predominates, is only capable of shuller the equivalent 6% of its generation potential through its borders. And even Germany, which prides itself on its energy transition is only 11%.

A patchwork of grids

Euronews asked Ronnie Belmans, professor emeritus at Ku Leuven University in Belgium and a veteran expert in electrical networks, how rehearsals of the Iberian power failure could be avoided in the future.

“First of all, you need a good grid,” said Belmans. “Spain is not well linked to the rest of Europe, they have only one serious link,” said Belmans, in reference to the Trans-Pyrean line.

The situation – that some have blamed at least partly a reluctance during the years of the French government to expose its nuclear industry to competition from cheaper green energy – was “shameful”.

In addition, network planning in Europe is currently largely in the hands of transmission systems operators, through an almost official EU organism known as Ento-e-a situation that criticisms have long complained about a conflict of interest.

For Belmans, having a “pile of tsos seated together around the table” at regular intervals and presenting their own national plans – reflecting their own economic interests – is not a way to manage a European electrical network.

“What is missing is an independent development plan in Europe,” he said, suggesting that steps should be made to an independent transnational system operator under the control of the EU Acer energy regulation agency.

“It could be empowered to designate the quantity and where the new capacity of a superposition grid is necessary independently of the national borders,” said Belmans.

The European Commission still working on its set of grids, the next indication of its appetite for the reform should come next week, with the expected publication of a plan to wean Europe from Russian fossil fuels by 2027.

With few oil resources, the EU has already increased its renewable and rationalized energy objectives of planning procedures since the invasion of Ukraine. Even before the events of this week, whatever their specific cause, it was clear that the grid of Europe was not ready.

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