BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — An unprecedented blackout brought much of
Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday, stopping trains, cutting
phone service and shutting down traffic lights and ATMs for millions
of people across the Iberian Peninsula.
Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica declined to speculate on the
cause of the power outage that began around 12:30 p.m. Madrid time and
said restoring power fully could take six to 10 hours. Head of
operations Eduardo Prieto told journalists it was unprecedented,
calling the event “exceptional and extraordinary.” By 8:35 p.m.,
only 35% of energy demand had been restored, Prieto said hours later.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said a “strong
oscillation” in the European grid was behind the outage but the
cause was still being determined. He asked the public to refrain from speculation, and urged people to call emergency services only if
really necessary.
It was the second serious European power outage in less than six weeks
after a March 20 fire shut down Heathrow Airport in the U.K., and it
came as authorities across Europe gird against sabotage backed by
Russia.
The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Center in a statement said there
was no sign the outage was due to a cyberattack. Teresa Ribera,
European Commission executive vice president in charge of promoting
clean energy, indicated the same to journalists in Brussels and called
the power outage “one of the most serious episodes recorded in
Europe in recent times.”
Spanish and Portuguese capitals affected
The outage began after midday. Offices closed and traffic was snarled
in major cities. In Barcelona civilians directed traffic. Train
services in both countries stopped, leaving tens of thousands of
passengers stranded. It wouldn’t be possible to restart trains later
Monday even if the power returned, Spain’s Transportation Minister
Oscar Puente posted on social media.
The subway systems shut down. “I don’t know how I am going to get home,” said Barcelona resident Ivette Corona as she watched a large
group of people fail to get on a bus that briefly stopped to squeeze
in a couple of passengers.
In Madrid, hundreds of people at a bus stop that takes travelers to
the airport were trying to hitch-hike. Some held improvised signs to
convince drivers to take them.
“I’ve been here for almost three hours, trying to get someone to
take me to the airport because my family arrived today and I can’t
talk to them. This is terrifying,” said Jessica Fernandez, one of
the many people at the bus stop.
Hospitals and other emergency services switched to generators. Among
those most affected were homebound patients dependent on oxygen
machines. Gas stations stopped working.
It was not possible to make calls or send text messages on most mobile
phone networks, though some people managed to connect on certain
messaging apps with intermittent data connections. People searched
stores for battery-powered radios to stay informed.
It is rare to have such a widespread outage across the Iberian
Peninsula, with a combined population of about 60 million people.
Spain’s Canary Islands, Balearic Islands and the territories of
Ceuta and Melilla, located across the Mediterranean in Africa, were
not affected.
Spain’s prime minister convened an extraordinary meeting of the
National Security Council. Four regions of Spain declared an emergency
and asked the central government in Madrid to take over management of
the crisis. The Portuguese Cabinet convened an emergency meeting at
the prime minister’s residence. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis
Montenegro said he had spoken several times to Sánchez and expected
power to be restored by the end of the day.
Portugal’s government said the outage appeared to stem from problems outside the country, an official told national news agency Lusa.
Electricity was being pulled from Morocco and France to restore power
to southern and northern Spain, Spain’s prime minister said,
thanking their governments. Spain was also increasing the production
from hydroelectric and combined cycle thermal power plants.
Airports working on backup systems
A graph on Spain’s electricity network website showing demand across
the country indicated a steep drop around 12:30 p.m. from 27,500
megawatts to near 15,000 megawatts.
Spanish airports were operating on backup electrical systems and some
flights were delayed, according to Aena, which runs 56 airports in
Spain, including Madrid and Barcelona.
In Lisbon, terminals closed and tourists sat outside waiting for news
about flights.
“We haven’t seen any plane arriving or departing in the 50 minutes we’ve been waiting here,” Dutch tourist Marc Brandsma told The
Associated Press.
The Spanish Parliament in Madrid closed. Play at the Madrid Open
tennis tournament was suspended.
Some took advantage of the lack of connectivity to enjoy the sunshine
on restaurant terraces, parks and beaches. Barcelona’s streets
filled with throngs of people milling in front of darkened stores and exchanging information.
“We are lucky. Some people got trapped in the metro. And there is a positive side: We are talking more with each other,” said Monste
Cortés in Barcelona. She said dinner would be sliced bread and cold
cuts.
The owner of a popular ice-cream shop in Madrid began giving ice cream
away to people passing by. “After about two hours that the power
went out, I realized that the ice cream would start going bad,” said
owner Mario Solares. He said he estimated his losses at about 3,000
euros. “Hopefully we can recover some of this money with the
insurance or some other way, we’ll see,” Solares added.
The hunt for connectivity
As hours passed, so did the concern of those unable to reach loved
ones. Authorities in Barcelona have set up shelters for those unable
to return home to spend the night.
Rubén Elvira, his wife and two daughters joked with friends on
parting that they would have to “write letters” to communicate.
In Terrassa, an industrial town 50 kilometers (30 miles) from
Barcelona, stores selling generators were out of stock.
Portugal’s National Authority for Emergencies and Civil Protection
said backup power systems were operating.
In Portugal, a country of some 10.6 million people, police placed more officers on duty to cope with increased requests for help, including
from people trapped in elevators.
Several Lisbon subway cars were evacuated, reports said. Courts
stopped work and ATMs and electronic payment systems were affected.
https://apnews.com/article/spain-portugal-power-outage-electricity-b0c5
fb ca49b8422248c4f933e20303b3
On 28 Apr 2025, Green Morons <dipshits@greenparty.org> posted some news:4b116725d9.1745882507@kmgus.hd:what does this figure mean? 56% of installed power (MW) or 56% of energy (MWh)?and when?when the wind blows and the sun shines or when not?
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — An unprecedented blackout brought much of
Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday, stopping trains, cutting
phone service and shutting down traffic lights and ATMs for millions
of people across the Iberian Peninsula.
Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica declined to speculate on the
cause of the power outage that began around 12:30 p.m. Madrid time and
said restoring power fully could take six to 10 hours. Head of
operations Eduardo Prieto told journalists it was unprecedented,
calling the event “exceptional and extraordinary.” By 8:35 p.m.,
only 35% of energy demand had been restored, Prieto said hours later.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said a “strong
oscillation” in the European grid was behind the outage but the
cause was still being determined. He asked the public to refrain from
speculation, and urged people to call emergency services only if
really necessary.
It was the second serious European power outage in less than six weeks
after a March 20 fire shut down Heathrow Airport in the U.K., and it
came as authorities across Europe gird against sabotage backed by
Russia.
The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Center in a statement said there
was no sign the outage was due to a cyberattack. Teresa Ribera,
European Commission executive vice president in charge of promoting
clean energy, indicated the same to journalists in Brussels and called
the power outage “one of the most serious episodes recorded in
Europe in recent times.”
Spanish and Portuguese capitals affected
The outage began after midday. Offices closed and traffic was snarled
in major cities. In Barcelona civilians directed traffic. Train
services in both countries stopped, leaving tens of thousands of
passengers stranded. It wouldn’t be possible to restart trains later
Monday even if the power returned, Spain’s Transportation Minister
Oscar Puente posted on social media.
The subway systems shut down. “I don’t know how I am going to get
home,” said Barcelona resident Ivette Corona as she watched a large
group of people fail to get on a bus that briefly stopped to squeeze
in a couple of passengers.
In Madrid, hundreds of people at a bus stop that takes travelers to
the airport were trying to hitch-hike. Some held improvised signs to
convince drivers to take them.
“I’ve been here for almost three hours, trying to get someone to
take me to the airport because my family arrived today and I can’t
talk to them. This is terrifying,” said Jessica Fernandez, one of
the many people at the bus stop.
Hospitals and other emergency services switched to generators. Among
those most affected were homebound patients dependent on oxygen
machines. Gas stations stopped working.
It was not possible to make calls or send text messages on most mobile
phone networks, though some people managed to connect on certain
messaging apps with intermittent data connections. People searched
stores for battery-powered radios to stay informed.
It is rare to have such a widespread outage across the Iberian
Peninsula, with a combined population of about 60 million people.
Spain’s Canary Islands, Balearic Islands and the territories of
Ceuta and Melilla, located across the Mediterranean in Africa, were
not affected.
Spain’s prime minister convened an extraordinary meeting of the
National Security Council. Four regions of Spain declared an emergency
and asked the central government in Madrid to take over management of
the crisis. The Portuguese Cabinet convened an emergency meeting at
the prime minister’s residence. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis
Montenegro said he had spoken several times to Sánchez and expected
power to be restored by the end of the day.
Portugal’s government said the outage appeared to stem from problems
outside the country, an official told national news agency Lusa.
Electricity was being pulled from Morocco and France to restore power
to southern and northern Spain, Spain’s prime minister said,
thanking their governments. Spain was also increasing the production
from hydroelectric and combined cycle thermal power plants.
Airports working on backup systems
A graph on Spain’s electricity network website showing demand across
the country indicated a steep drop around 12:30 p.m. from 27,500
megawatts to near 15,000 megawatts.
Spanish airports were operating on backup electrical systems and some
flights were delayed, according to Aena, which runs 56 airports in
Spain, including Madrid and Barcelona.
In Lisbon, terminals closed and tourists sat outside waiting for news
about flights.
“We haven’t seen any plane arriving or departing in the 50 minutes
we’ve been waiting here,” Dutch tourist Marc Brandsma told The
Associated Press.
The Spanish Parliament in Madrid closed. Play at the Madrid Open
tennis tournament was suspended.
Some took advantage of the lack of connectivity to enjoy the sunshine
on restaurant terraces, parks and beaches. Barcelona’s streets
filled with throngs of people milling in front of darkened stores and
exchanging information.
“We are lucky. Some people got trapped in the metro. And there is a
positive side: We are talking more with each other,” said Monste
Cortés in Barcelona. She said dinner would be sliced bread and cold
cuts.
The owner of a popular ice-cream shop in Madrid began giving ice cream
away to people passing by. “After about two hours that the power
went out, I realized that the ice cream would start going bad,” said
owner Mario Solares. He said he estimated his losses at about 3,000
euros. “Hopefully we can recover some of this money with the
insurance or some other way, we’ll see,” Solares added.
The hunt for connectivity
As hours passed, so did the concern of those unable to reach loved
ones. Authorities in Barcelona have set up shelters for those unable
to return home to spend the night.
Rubén Elvira, his wife and two daughters joked with friends on
parting that they would have to “write letters” to communicate.
In Terrassa, an industrial town 50 kilometers (30 miles) from
Barcelona, stores selling generators were out of stock.
Portugal’s National Authority for Emergencies and Civil Protection
said backup power systems were operating.
In Portugal, a country of some 10.6 million people, police placed more
officers on duty to cope with increased requests for help, including
from people trapped in elevators.
Several Lisbon subway cars were evacuated, reports said. Courts
stopped work and ATMs and electronic payment systems were affected.
https://apnews.com/article/spain-portugal-power-outage-electricity-b0c5
fb ca49b8422248c4f933e20303b3
56% of Spain's energy is renewable.
Στις 1/5/2025 12:51 π.μ., ο/η P. Coonan έγραψε:there was a similar incident in Athens, in 2004, where in summer, in
On 28 Apr 2025, Green Morons <dipshits@greenparty.org> posted somewhat does this figure mean? 56% of installed power (MW) or 56% of energy (MWh)?and when?when the wind blows and the sun shines or when not?
news:4b116725d9.1745882507@kmgus.hd:
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — An unprecedented blackout brought much of
Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday, stopping trains, cutting
phone service and shutting down traffic lights and ATMs for millions
of people across the Iberian Peninsula.
Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica declined to speculate on the
cause of the power outage that began around 12:30 p.m. Madrid time and
said restoring power fully could take six to 10 hours. Head of
operations Eduardo Prieto told journalists it was unprecedented,
calling the event “exceptional and extraordinary.” By 8:35 p.m.,
only 35% of energy demand had been restored, Prieto said hours later.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said a “strong
oscillation” in the European grid was behind the outage but the
cause was still being determined. He asked the public to refrain from
speculation, and urged people to call emergency services only if
really necessary.
It was the second serious European power outage in less than six weeks
after a March 20 fire shut down Heathrow Airport in the U.K., and it
came as authorities across Europe gird against sabotage backed by
Russia.
The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Center in a statement said there
was no sign the outage was due to a cyberattack. Teresa Ribera,
European Commission executive vice president in charge of promoting
clean energy, indicated the same to journalists in Brussels and called
the power outage “one of the most serious episodes recorded in
Europe in recent times.”
Spanish and Portuguese capitals affected
The outage began after midday. Offices closed and traffic was snarled
in major cities. In Barcelona civilians directed traffic. Train
services in both countries stopped, leaving tens of thousands of
passengers stranded. It wouldn’t be possible to restart trains later
Monday even if the power returned, Spain’s Transportation Minister
Oscar Puente posted on social media.
The subway systems shut down. “I don’t know how I am going to get
home,” said Barcelona resident Ivette Corona as she watched a large
group of people fail to get on a bus that briefly stopped to squeeze
in a couple of passengers.
In Madrid, hundreds of people at a bus stop that takes travelers to
the airport were trying to hitch-hike. Some held improvised signs to
convince drivers to take them.
“I’ve been here for almost three hours, trying to get someone to
take me to the airport because my family arrived today and I can’t
talk to them. This is terrifying,” said Jessica Fernandez, one of
the many people at the bus stop.
Hospitals and other emergency services switched to generators. Among
those most affected were homebound patients dependent on oxygen
machines. Gas stations stopped working.
It was not possible to make calls or send text messages on most mobile
phone networks, though some people managed to connect on certain
messaging apps with intermittent data connections. People searched
stores for battery-powered radios to stay informed.
It is rare to have such a widespread outage across the Iberian
Peninsula, with a combined population of about 60 million people.
Spain’s Canary Islands, Balearic Islands and the territories of
Ceuta and Melilla, located across the Mediterranean in Africa, were
not affected.
Spain’s prime minister convened an extraordinary meeting of the
National Security Council. Four regions of Spain declared an emergency
and asked the central government in Madrid to take over management of
the crisis. The Portuguese Cabinet convened an emergency meeting at
the prime minister’s residence. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis
Montenegro said he had spoken several times to Sánchez and expected
power to be restored by the end of the day.
Portugal’s government said the outage appeared to stem from problems
outside the country, an official told national news agency Lusa.
Electricity was being pulled from Morocco and France to restore power
to southern and northern Spain, Spain’s prime minister said,
thanking their governments. Spain was also increasing the production
from hydroelectric and combined cycle thermal power plants.
Airports working on backup systems
A graph on Spain’s electricity network website showing demand across
the country indicated a steep drop around 12:30 p.m. from 27,500
megawatts to near 15,000 megawatts.
Spanish airports were operating on backup electrical systems and some
flights were delayed, according to Aena, which runs 56 airports in
Spain, including Madrid and Barcelona.
In Lisbon, terminals closed and tourists sat outside waiting for news
about flights.
“We haven’t seen any plane arriving or departing in the 50 minutes
we’ve been waiting here,” Dutch tourist Marc Brandsma told The
Associated Press.
The Spanish Parliament in Madrid closed. Play at the Madrid Open
tennis tournament was suspended.
Some took advantage of the lack of connectivity to enjoy the sunshine
on restaurant terraces, parks and beaches. Barcelona’s streets
filled with throngs of people milling in front of darkened stores and
exchanging information.
“We are lucky. Some people got trapped in the metro. And there is a
positive side: We are talking more with each other,” said Monste
Cortés in Barcelona. She said dinner would be sliced bread and cold
cuts.
The owner of a popular ice-cream shop in Madrid began giving ice cream
away to people passing by. “After about two hours that the power
went out, I realized that the ice cream would start going bad,” said
owner Mario Solares. He said he estimated his losses at about 3,000
euros. “Hopefully we can recover some of this money with the
insurance or some other way, we’ll see,” Solares added.
The hunt for connectivity
As hours passed, so did the concern of those unable to reach loved
ones. Authorities in Barcelona have set up shelters for those unable
to return home to spend the night.
Rubén Elvira, his wife and two daughters joked with friends on
parting that they would have to “write letters” to communicate.
In Terrassa, an industrial town 50 kilometers (30 miles) from
Barcelona, stores selling generators were out of stock.
Portugal’s National Authority for Emergencies and Civil Protection
said backup power systems were operating.
In Portugal, a country of some 10.6 million people, police placed more
officers on duty to cope with increased requests for help, including
from people trapped in elevators.
Several Lisbon subway cars were evacuated, reports said. Courts
stopped work and ATMs and electronic payment systems were affected.
https://apnews.com/article/spain-portugal-power-outage-electricity-b0c5
fb ca49b8422248c4f933e20303b3
56% of Spain's energy is renewable.
remember that electricity has to be generated on the fly, and supply has
to meet demand at any moment.
According to an article I read, Spain lost an UHV transmission line to France,possibly due to an overcurrent trip, due to over-generation of renewables they lost all 7 nuclear stations (they couldn't export the
surplus anymore to France) due to over-frequency trips, they tried to synchronize gas stations and pick up loads, they failed so there was an under-frequency trip that isolated the Ibiric peninsula grid from the
rest of Europe. Spain has proudly phased out coal and is basing heavily
on renewables.
Here, in Crete there is much protest on aggresively installing
renewables, "every hill a wind-turbine and every stream a small hydro" because a wind farm means destroying nature to build roads to carry all
the necessary equipment, razing off the peaks to install the turbines,
the fundaments of which need 900 cubic meters of concrete and 900 tons
of steel at least, not to mention the transmission lines and
distribution lines for smaller windparks. Also, when the turbine reaches
its end of life, it can't be recycled, it can't be disposed of and it
can't be burned because its wings are made of balsa wood and some very
strong resin (definitely not steel).
This reminds me of the sheep chant in George Orwell's animal farm"Four
legs good, two legs bad" everything that has a chimney (or a muffler) is
bad and has to go, and electric cars and renewables are the embodiment
of good.
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