Red Eléctrica, the company responsible for electricity management in Spain, is on high alert following the recent blackout. It continues to search for the cause of the largest energy shock in the country’s history.
Although both the government and the company’s management appear to have clues about the underlying events and emphasize that “it is still too early to know all the details,” Moncloa and Red Eléctrica are working around the clock to prevent a repeat of this situation.
One of the most decisive measures taken in recent days is the integration of so-called synchronous technologies into the energy mix. These include combined cycle (gas-fired) power plants and nuclear power plants. These technologies use energy sources whose rotors rotate at a constant speed, known as synchronous speed. This contrasts with asynchronous generators, where the rotor speed does not match the synchronous speed of the stator’s magnetic field.
In the event of a power outage or an incident like last Monday’s, synchronous technologies prove to be significantly more effective and useful for restarting a downed electrical system. In fact, these plants were operating at near-minimal capacity when the outage occurred.
During the energy system’s collapse, renewable energies led the way in electricity generation. Photovoltaic systems contributed up to 60% of total electricity production, while wind power was the second largest source at 12%.
In the hours following the blackout, the debate about the role of renewables in the energy mix flared up, as already highlighted by various sectors. Both the government and Red Eléctrica have emphasized that renewables are not responsible for Spain’s electricity chaos.
In contrast, synchronous energies played a marginal role during the blackout. Combined cycle power plants, traditionally one of the pillars of the national energy mix, accounted for only 3.37% of electricity generation, while nuclear power accounted for almost 11%. Following the incident, the system relied on these power plants, which are essential for immediate electricity supply but had limited capacity and connections to Portugal and France to avoid major consequences. As a result, the national system was out of service for approximately 37 minutes.
Based on the experience, Red Eléctrica has given greater importance to combined heat and power (CHP) and nuclear energy. At certain times of the day, combined heat and power plants contributed up to 45% of electricity generation. Nevertheless, renewable energies also remained present, leading production in several time slots.
On Wednesday, the situation was similar: combined cycles contributed 13% of the total, while nuclear energy hovered at 4%.
Holiday alert
Industry sources indicate that this trend will repeat itself in the coming days. Combined cycle power plants and nuclear energy will “have a representative weight” due to a public holiday in Spain this weekend, which will lead to a sharp drop in demand.
In light of expected overproduction, the electricity sector is expressing “concern” about a situation that “could be similar to last Monday.” “We will see how the electricity grid and the wholesale market behave during the cheapest hours in history. It will be a real litmus test,” they warn.
The large amount of electricity generated is facing very low demand. Millions of Spaniards will not be going to work, offices will be closed, and the same will apply to many factories. Furthermore, electricity consumption at home will decline as people spend more time outside their homes.
All of this is reflected in the price of electricity. On Thursday, the megawatt-hour reached a historic negative price, falling to minus ten euros during the day. This means that generators had to pay to feed electricity into the system.
This is mainly because there is a large amount of electricity available for production, forcing producers to sell it. Everything indicates that wholesale prices will remain very low in the coming days, underscoring the serious structural problem facing both the Spanish and European electricity systems.
