Spain’s PM Sánchez under fire as country reels from power cut – CSN News

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Spain’s opposition demanded on Wednesday that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez appear before parliament to explain the causes of this week’s catastrophic electricity blackout, as political recriminations mount over one of Europe’s biggest-ever power outages.

Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the centre-right Partido Popular opposition party, has accused the socialist government of an “information blackout”, as he insisted the prime minister release more details about the events leading to Monday’s power cut.

Other opposition politicians attacked Spain’s high dependence on renewable sources, such as wind and solar. Santiago Abascal of the extreme-right Vox Party demanded this week that Spain abandon its “climate fanaticism”.

Sánchez has called on private electricity providers to assist in the investigation into the origins of the outage, as more deaths are linked to the electricity system’s collapse. On Wednesday afternoon, a committee of officials from various ministries will gather to analyze data from private operators.

Three people in Spain’s north died after an apparent carbon monoxide overdose, which was linked to the generator they used during Monday’s power outage. After firefighters found high levels of toxic gas inside the home, the Spanish Civil Guard confirmed that three people had died. Local media reported that one victim was using a respirator powered by the family’s generator.

The national police reported that a woman in Madrid was also found deceased in a fire that appeared to have been caused by a lit candle.

Investigators are continuing to assess what caused Spain to lose 15 gigawatts of electricity — some 60 per cent of its supply — in five seconds on Monday.

According to analysts, the frequency on Spain’s electricity grid — the rate at which electrical current alternates — dropped suddenly at 12:33 local time that day, triggering many power stations to switch off. The country’s grid operator, Red Eléctrica, was not able to order enough additional power to come online to avoid the outage.

Sánchez has said the government is still assessing all potential causes. Some politicians blame Spain’s extensive renewable energy network.

On a European scale, politicians of the conservative European People’s Party – the EU’s biggest political group – have also criticised Spain’s focus upon renewables. The party supports nuclear energy which is what the Spanish government wants to stop by 2035.

Spain had a high reliance on renewable energy sources when it lost its power. Around 55 per cent was supplied by solar just before the blackout. During the blackout, however, other generators and nuclear power plants were also disconnected from grid.

Spain has so far shown little sign of abandoning its advanced mix of renewables. In her first public comments on the grid’s collapse, Red Eléctrica’s director, Beatriz Corredor, insisted on Wednesday that renewable energy was not to blame.

It’s not accurate to attribute a serious incident that happened on Monday to the penetration renewables. “It’s not right,” she said to the Cadena SER Radio channel.

“We can’t know the causes unless we analyse all the data that comes from the generators.” [of electricity]” She said.

Corredor added, “We will do everything possible to restore this system in the shortest amount of time and to continue operating in Europe with the best energy mix.” She also said she would not resign over the incident.

Sánchez has sought to put the spotlight on private electricity companies, having summoned representatives of Iberdrola, Endesa, EDP, Acciona and Naturgy for talks in Madrid on Tuesday. He urged them to give him data that might help pinpoint the cause of the power outage.

Iberdrola claims it has worked closely with government officials to determine the causes of this incident. Its executive chair Ignacio Galán said on Wednesday it was for Red Eléctrica to explain why the blackout occurred.