The blackout that affected Spain and Portugal has, due to intensity and diffusion, few precedents in Europe. While the causes that led to this emergency are still studying, the European Commission has tried to make its contribution for the return to normal, but the particular situation of the Iberian peninsula, which is almost isolated compared to the rest of the European network, has made the most difficult things.
“The Commission is in close contact with the national authorities of Spain and Portugal and with the European network of managers of the electricity transmission systems (ENSSO-E) and is ready to provide assistance to evaluate the causes and impact of the interruptions of the supply of electricity”, explained a spokesman for the community executive to Toray.it, according to which Brussels continues to monitor the situation and to make sure that there is a easy exchange of information between all interested parties, promoting cooperation “.
More concretely, the Commission is “coordinating the efforts between the national authorities within the coordination group for electricity (ECG) and with the entons-e to contribute to the restoration of the electrical system”, said the spokesman, remembering that the EU “has a complete picture to face this type of situations”, and one of its central points is precisely the coordination with the networks of neighboring countries.
European rules to manage blackouts
The Emergency and Restoration Network Code, the European network code for the emergency and restoration, precisely regulates the management of electric blackouts. In the event of widespread interruption, the managers of the transmission systems (TSO) must immediately activate the restoration plans, based on system re -enactment strategies.
There are two methods provided: the “top-down” strategy, which provides for the support of external TSOs still operational to bring back the disconnected networks, and the “Bottom-up” strategy, which allows you to locally restore the network without external assistance. The goal, as the regulation clarifies, is to guarantee “the effective and rapid restoration of the electricity system from the states of emergency or blackout”, avoiding that the blackout extends or extend further.
The structural limits of the Iberian peninsula
France and Portugal came to the rescue of Spain and Portugal, with the French network operator RTE, for example, which provided 700 megawatts of electricity at Spain in the hours following the Blackout. The problem, however, is that, also given the particular geographical conformation of the Iberian peninsula, Spain and Portugal have strictly connected electrical systems, but few cross -border connections with France and the rest of the EU.
For this reason Brussels has long been pressing on the two countries of the peninsula, which operate as an energy island inside the blockade, so that they connect better to the rest of the European networks.
Spain’s deficiencies in preparation for risks
Already in an opinion of 2022, on the level of preparation for the risks of Spain, the European Commission had complained that the risk preparation plan presented by Madrid had not been sufficiently detailed on how the country intended to collaborate with its neighbors during a possible electric crisis.
While mentioning a certain coordination between regional system operators, the plan did not outline any concrete measure at regional or bilateral level, as required by the EU standards. Brussels, in its opinion, underlined that “there is no reference to concrete regional and bilateral measures agreed with the Member States that have the technical ability to provide mutually assistance”, asking Madrid to modify the plan by specifying the technical, legal and financial provisions necessary to guarantee effective transfrontier solidarity in the event of a crisis.
The project of the Gulf of Biscaglia
Since then some things have changed, but not quickly enough. In 2023, for example, the works to improve the electric interconnection between Spain and France through the Gulf of Biscaglia, connecting the electrical systems of Gatika, in the Basque Country, and Cubnezais, near Bordeaux, one of the most relevant infrastructure projects for the integration of the Iberian peninsula in the European energy market, began.
The work, managed by the Joint Venture Inelfe (Red Eléctric de España and Réseau de Transport of électricité), provides for a continuous high voltage connection about 400 kilometers long (300 submarines and 100 terrestrials), with a transport capacity of 2 thousand megawatts.
The works should end by 2027, despite some environmental difficulties and a significant increase in costs, which have risen to approximately 3.1 billion euros (2.85 billion in basic costs plus 250 million euros intended for risks provisions). For its importance, the project was co -financed by the European Union with a subsidy of 578 million euros through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program. Once completed, the connection will allow to increase the electrical exchange capacity between the two countries and to transfer about 7,400 Gigawattara per year of energy to low emissions.
