Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian Ministry of Defense: 37 Ukrainian drones destroyed in 4 hours over regions of Russia and the Black Sea.
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.

Spain rejects claims that power grid 'experiment' triggered blackout

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Telegraph
  • 28 May 2025 18:33
2 Min Read

Spanish authorities have rejected claims that a government-run energy experiment caused the April 28 blackout affecting Spain and Portugal, insisting the outage was not linked to renewables and is still under investigation.

Listen
  • x
  • Tourists take snapshots in the Puerta del Sol square in downtown Madrid, Spain, Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
    Tourists take snapshots in the Puerta del Sol square in downtown Madrid, Spain, Monday, April 29, 2024 (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Spanish officials have firmly denied reports alleging that a government-run test on the national power grid was responsible for the massive blackout that disrupted life across the Iberian Peninsula on April 28.

The British newspaper The Telegraph reported last Friday, citing anonymous sources in Brussels, that the Spanish government was "conducting an experiment before the system crashed," supposedly testing the limits of renewable energy integration ahead of the country's planned nuclear energy phase-out beginning in 2027. According to the report, the government "seems to have pushed the pace recklessly, before making the necessary investments in a sophisticated 21st-century smart grid capable of handling it."

In response, Ecological Transition Minister Sara Aagesen flatly dismissed the claim when questioned in parliament. "It is false, totally false, that the government carried out any sort of experiment on the grid prior to the outage," she said. "It is irresponsible to assign blame while the cause of the blackout remains under investigation. And it is equally irresponsible to claim that the government was conducting experiments."

Related News

Portugal now facing costs of its largest-ever wildfire

Spain wildfires rage as heatwave fuels European environmental disaster

Grid Disruption

The blackout, which affected telecommunications, disrupted public transport, and left large parts of Spain and Portugal without power, has prompted ongoing investigations into its cause. Despite widespread speculation, the source of the outage has not yet been officially determined.

Beatriz Corredor, head of Spain's electricity grid operator REE, also addressed the issue in an interview published Wednesday by La Vanguardia. "There was no excess of renewable energy" on the day of the outage, she stated. "There were no short circuits, overloads or cyberattacks on the grid."

Instead, she indicated that the issue may have been related to how conventional energy producers, including those operating gas, nuclear, and hydroelectric plants, managed the system's voltage. "Producers of 'conventional' energy such as gas, nuclear, and hydro plants failed to properly regulate voltage," she said, although she did not confirm whether this contributed directly to the blackout.

The government maintains that speculation about the cause is premature and urges patience as the investigation continues.

Read more: EU depleting gas reserves at fastest pace since onset of energy crisis

  • Spain
  • France
  • power blackout
  • Portugal

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS