Here’s the translation into American English:
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Eduardo Prieto, director of Network Operation Services at Red Eléctrica, stated today that no intrusion has been detected in the control systems related to the recent incident affecting the electrical grid. This preliminary assessment has been supported by the National Intelligence Center (CNI), which found no malicious activity in the network, and by the National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE), which continues to monitor the system. Despite ruling out an external attack, investigations into the cause of the failure are ongoing.
Red Eléctrica explained that the sudden loss of 15 gigawatts of electrical generation in just five seconds caused a significant frequency oscillation in the grid, necessitating the temporary disconnection of the Spanish grid from the rest of Europe to prevent a larger collapse. The operator emphasized that security protocols functioned correctly and that the automatic response was crucial in mitigating the impact. By 7:00 AM on Tuesday, 99.95% of the peninsular electricity demand had been restored, and all substations in the electrical transport system were back in operation.
The company also highlighted the role of active demand response mechanisms, which helped relieve the system at critical moments. It is expected that by 2025, over 1,100 megawatts of flexible capacity from industrial consumers and other agents will participate in these services, which will help maintain system balance and prevent massive disconnections. Additionally, the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has ruled out a connection between the incident and extreme weather phenomena.
The ongoing investigation is examining other potential technical factors that may have contributed to the blackout, such as frequency synchronization errors or failures in generation facilities. According to the latest update from Red Eléctrica, as of 11:15 AM today, the operation of the peninsular electrical system has returned to normal. After surpassing the morning peak demand of 28,677 MW at 8:35 AM, a nighttime peak is expected at 9:10 PM with a demand of 31,200 MW.
The President of the Government has announced the creation of a technical investigation commission to clarify the origin of the blackout. Although the responsible agencies have found no signs of an external attack, Pedro Sánchez stated that “nothing is ruled out” and emphasized the importance of analyzing the incident from various perspectives, including technical, operational, and security aspects. The investigation will be conducted in collaboration with Red Eléctrica, the Ministry of Ecological Transition, and other specialized agencies.
via: MiMub in Spanish
