In Spain, the renewable in query after the “apagón” | EUROtoday

LWas the primacy granted to photovoltaics and wind is she chargeable for the generalized energy lower which maintained at the hours of darkness Spain, Portugal and a part of France this Monday? While the nation is recovering with a relative normality of this unprecedented occasion, the controversy goes effectively on the good supervisor of this second of amazement and, for some, dread-a sequence of about twenty-four hours whose value, in accordance with employers, quantities to 1.6 billion euros, or 0.1 % of nationwide GDP. If the socialist authorities denies it, the thesis defended by the suitable opposition, the giants of the electrical energy sector and the regulator of the community is that the extreme significance given to renewable energies could be the reason for the unprecedented incident which occurred on Monday April 28 at 12:33.

Spain is likely one of the powers on this sector and, since 2019, the socialist government has clearly made a guess on this course, to the detriment of standard energy vegetation, each thermal, hydroelectric and nuclear. Everyone stays pending the exact reason behind the failure: the federal government of Pedro Sanchez has requested an investigation from the European Union; For its half, even when many of the specialists have dismissed the thesis of a “cyber attack”, the nationwide listening to of Madrid opened a authorized proceedings on a “possible attempt at computer piracy” on the a part of a international nation or “hackers”.

“System instability”

The major suspicion that renewable could be the reason for theapagón (“Cut”) of the system comes from Ree, the Spanish electrical energy community, the authority which gives meals within the nation and manages the power combine in accordance with wants and the market. Ree is a blended firm, whose state has solely 20 % of the shares. Conflicts aren’t rare with the federal government of Pedro Sanchez, in energy since 2018. “It is very possible that the general fall in electricity production has occurred at the level of photovoltaic parks,” stated Eduardo Prieto, director of companies for REE operations.

Read too Electric failure in Spain: distinctive… and predictable chaos? More particularly, the facility rupture would have occurred in Estremaduure, within the southwest of the nation, one of many areas on the photo voltaic vanguard. This is the exact place that may clarify the brutal and sudden disappearance of 15 gigawatts (GW), that’s to say 60 % of the power consumed at 12:33 pm on Monday, and would have induced widespread extinction. For Ree, it isn’t fairly a shock. During its 2024 annual report, introduced in February, the nationwide community reported this danger “due to the high penetration of renewable energy” which may “significantly affect the power supply”. In addition to the plain incontrovertible fact that these energies are by nature “fluctuating”, the domination of small photovoltaic installations would worsen “the instability of the system”. “In summary, notes the president of Ree, Beatriz Cordor, even if our production capacity is much above our real needs, uncertainty is permanently present. »»

To understand the Spanish issue – and its direct consequences for Portugal and the South of France -, the extraordinary leap should be recalled in front by Spain for fifteen years in the field of renewable. In parallel, the power in power launched in 2019 a program for closing the five nuclear power plants, between 2027 and 2035, starting with that of Almaraz, Estremadure, which is controversial with all those who oppose its disappearance. According to REE, during 2024, the contribution in electrical production of wind, photovoltaics and hydraulics reached 56.8 % of total demand. Or 10 points more than the previous year!

“Green terrorism”

On average, nuclear represents only 20 % of production, and gas generated by the combined cycle 13 %. This situation is much explained by the fact that renewable sources are much better. Even more, for example, than nuclear, disadvantaged by the cost required by the management of its waste. Shortly beforeapagón General on Monday, renewable energies covered approximately 70 % of demand, and only four of the seven nuclear reactors contributed to this diet at this precise moment. Most electrical giants, who are the system operators, such as IBERDROLA, ACCIONA or NATURGY, are also the owners of the power plants and feel injured by the pre -eminence granted to renewable.

Read too In Madrid, my day without electricity, but with battery transistors
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The kangaroo of the day

Answer

The accident on Monday and its huge repercussions rekindled the controversy on nuclear and the political confrontation between the federal government of coalition and the opposition of the rights. Santiago Abascal, the chief of the extremist celebration Vox, who denies local weather change and castigates “the green terrorism of the criminal Sanchez”, in addition to “the suicidal green agenda”, calls for the resignation of the chief of the chief. More weighted, the chief of the People’s Party, Alberto Nuñez Feijoo, assaults the Ministry of Energy Transition which might “excessively” facilitate renewable energies. And militates to take care of the 5 nuclear energy vegetation, “the sole means of guaranteeing the stability of the electrical system against the fluctuations in renewables”.

For their half, specialists from all sides spotlight that theapagón Unpublished additionally outcomes from {the electrical} isolation of the peninsula. While most European international locations can rely on sturdy interdependence, the share of connections doesn’t attain 3 % right here (in Catalonia and within the Basque Country), in opposition to the ten % advisable by the EU. The present has actually been reinstated due to France and Morocco. “Nevertheless, that in the event of a brutal fall in electric generation,” stated an professional from Ree, Spain and Portugal can not profit from the instant provision of neighboring international locations. In this case France, which may be very little concerned and needs by all means to keep away from the provision of Spanish power, particularly to not compete with its nuclear energy vegetation. For the time being, on the nationwide stage, Pedro Sanchez accuses the electrical giants of “lack of transparency” within the origin of the accident, defends his guess on renewables and confirms his want to step by step shut the nuclear energy vegetation.