Now the truth can be told about that massive electrical grid failure in the Iberian peninsula back in April. From SkyNews,
The massive power cut that plunged huge swathes of Spain and Portugal into chaos earlier this year was caused by a miscalculation, the Spanish government has said.
,”Miscalculation.” SkyNews reports,
There was discussion about whether a cyberattack was to blame, but today Spain’s energy minister said the issue was a miscalculation by the Spanish power grid operator REE.
Sara Aagesen said REE did not have enough thermal power stations switched on during peak hours of April 28 when the surge caused a chain reaction leading to the power outage.
In this context, “thermal power” refers to conventional power sources such as natural gas and coal-powered plants. I suppose the same was true for wind and solar power plants, which cannot be “switched on” at will.
Has his majesty’s government learned any lessons from the episode? Apparently not. From the AP, via Long Island’s Newsday,
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pushed back against such speculation and defended the country’s rapid ramping up of renewables. He asked for patience and said that his government would not “deviate a single millimeter” from its energy transition plans, which include a goal of generating 81% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain. But bring a flashlight.
