Red Eléctrica cuts power to heavy industry again in Spain
Spain's grid operator Red Eléctrica has cut power to heavy industry for the second time this year, with demand at 39,000 MW and 2,000 MW offline due to a fault.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Red Eléctrica cuts power to heavy industry for the second time this year
Spain's electricity grid operator has once again interrupted supply to heavy industry, right in the middle of the football World Cup final. In barely an hour, output from combined-cycle plants fell from 15,000 MW to 13,000 MW, with demand close to 39,000 MW. According to industry sources, the cause was a problem with the ramp-down rates of the combined-cycle plants, which knocked out around 2,000 MW and forced the use of all available tertiary reserve energy.
The grid collapse is no accident
The episode adds to a string of warning signs: nine out of ten requests for grid connection are rejected, whether for housing, data centres or industry. The last thermal power plant in Castilla y León was demolished, while the schedule for closing nuclear plants remains in place. At the same time, Europe is acknowledging its "strategic mistake" in moving away from nuclear energy, and France is organising an international summit to relaunch atomic technology.
Is a nationwide blackout on the horizon?
The question hanging in the air: if the grid cannot serve heavy industry —which holds interruptibility contracts— what will happen when a peak in household demand coincides with a fault? For now, the Spanish government is sticking to its commitment to renewables, but reality shows that intermittency cannot be solved with good intentions.
Spain's electricity grid operator has once again interrupted supply to heavy industry, right in the middle of the football World Cup final. In barely an hour, output from combined-cycle plants fell from 15,000 MW to 13,000 MW, with demand close to 39,000 MW. According to industry sources, the cause was a problem with the ramp-down rates of the combined-cycle plants, which knocked out around 2,000 MW and forced the use of all available tertiary reserve energy.
The grid collapse is no accident
The episode adds to a string of warning signs: nine out of ten requests for grid connection are rejected, whether for housing, data centres or industry. The last thermal power plant in Castilla y León was demolished, while the schedule for closing nuclear plants remains in place. At the same time, Europe is acknowledging its "strategic mistake" in moving away from nuclear energy, and France is organising an international summit to relaunch atomic technology.
Is a nationwide blackout on the horizon?
The question hanging in the air: if the grid cannot serve heavy industry —which holds interruptibility contracts— what will happen when a peak in household demand coincides with a fault? For now, the Spanish government is sticking to its commitment to renewables, but reality shows that intermittency cannot be solved with good intentions.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (19 replies).
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