Spain suffered a sudden drop of 15 gigawatts in the peninsular electricity grid at 12:33 pm on Monday, April 28, lasting just five seconds, which represented approximately 60% of the demand at that time. This caused a historic blackout that left a large part of the country disconnected for hours and also affected telecommunications.
The supply was gradually restored throughout Monday and into the early hours of Tuesday. The system was fully restored by 11:15 am on Tuesday, April 29, as reported by Red Eléctrica.
However, why did the Balearic Islands remain unaffected by the historic blackout, experiencing no cuts or voltage drops? The answer lies in the fact that the archipelago has its own independent system that operates separately from the Peninsula, even though it is connected by cable.
So, what happened in the Balearic Islands at 12:33 pm on Monday, April 28? Simply put, the safety protocols were activated, and the energy received in the archipelago via the cable connected to the Peninsula was replaced by other sources of generation that met the demand.
This is explained by the Director General of Circular Economy, Energy Transition, and Climate Change, Diego Viu, who highlights the normalcy that the archipelago experienced while the rest of Spain was in darkness.
Regarding the possibility of experiencing similar episodes in the future, the Director General expresses that «absolute certainty is far away,» but he asserts that the quality of the energy systems in the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands is «enviable.»
However, the Balearic Islands currently do not have enough renewable power to be the sole source, although there is a roadmap and government commitments to continue with penetration and development. At present, renewables would not be able to sustain the entire system.
On this matter, Ferran Rosa, former Director of the Balearic Energy Institute (IBE) and current MÉS per Mallorca Member of Parliament, rejects claims that the es Murterar power plant played a significant role in the Islands’ resilience to the blackout.
He explains that the use of this plant is minimal, totaling less than 500 hours in a year, and he calls for utilizing the widespread power grid failure in the Peninsula as a turning point to move towards a more distributed model. «The solution is not to increase energy production indefinitely,» he asserts.
The archipelago, in the view of the eco-sovereigntist, has sufficient installed power and a reliable system, even though it relies on the cable connection to the Peninsula.
The closure of coal-fired power plants is following the planned roadmap, according to the regional government.