The massive power outage that affected Spain and Portugal on April 28 caused hours-long disruptions in institutions, transportation, and daily life. Spanish and Portuguese authorities conducted an investigation and found that the cause was an error by the national electricity grid operator, the private company Red Eléctrica, which misjudged capacity and failed to activate an additional thermal power plant. Additionally, private electricity producers did not properly regulate the grid voltage immediately before the outage. The government ruled out cyberattacks as a cause. The opposition criticized the delay in providing explanations and expressed concerns about the country’s energy model, particularly the reliance on renewable energy sources and the rejection of nuclear power. The government repeatedly stated that renewable sources were not the cause of the outage.
Political Perspectives:
Left: Left-leaning reports emphasize the government’s efforts to investigate the outage thoroughly and reject conspiracy theories such as cyberattacks. They highlight the importance of ecological transition and renewable energy, defending that renewables were not the cause of the blackout. Criticism is often directed at private companies for mismanagement and lack of regulation.
Center: Center-leaning coverage focuses on the factual findings of the official investigation, presenting the technical causes such as misjudgment of capacity and failure to regulate voltage. It reports government statements and opposition critiques in a balanced manner, without strong bias towards or against renewable energy policies.
Right: Right-leaning narratives emphasize criticism of the government’s energy policies, particularly the focus on green energy and the rejection of nuclear power, suggesting these may have contributed to the blackout. They highlight opposition voices blaming the government for poor management and warn about the risks of over-reliance on renewables.