How Spain returns to life from an unprecedented national eclipse

As life in Spain and Portugal return to normal, big questions are not only what went wrong, but how to prevent such a large -scale failure of power again.

Only until 11:15 (09:15 GMT) on Tuesday, almost 23 hours after the system collapse, Spain’s electrical network announced that it was returning to its normal state.

The trains began to run again, although some lines were stopped and most homes returned their strength.

So how did I go back and work and why it took so long?

On the bigger part of Monday, Spain was in chaos.

The problem seems to refer to two separate problems with the southwest connection at times from each other, and then excluding from the French net for almost an hour.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez highlighted the sudden loss of 15 gigs of electricity at 12:33 on Monday, when about 60% of Spain’s electricity production suddenly disappeared.

Eduardo, Accepted, Director of Red Eléctrica grille operations, said the systems were stable until the loss of electricity production in southwestern Spain.

Only the Canary Islands, the Balears and Couta and Melilla on the shore of North Africa were not affected.

An increasing number of public figures blame the saturation of solar energy and the over-breeding of renewable energy.

Minutes before the interruption Spain operated at 60.64% solar photovoltaic generation, with 12% wind and 11.6% nuclear.

No matter how diversified and advanced the energy mix of Spain, the national power collapse at 12:35 on Monday required a huge effort to return Spain.

The initial focus was to re -activate the energy generation and south regions, which the Red Eléctrica network operator said it was crucial “gradually charging a transmission of the power line as the generating units are connected.”

The risk lies in the overload of the system, including everything at the same time and triggers another massive interruption.

So everything had to be carefully gradually for what experts call a “black beginning”, which works as a success.

The initial focus was on hydroelectric power plants, in particular the pumping plants with full tanks at this time of the year and can produce electricity quickly from an upright start.

Combined cycle gas plants also played a significant role in turning the network, but four nuclear energy reactors in Almazra, Asco and Vandelos were automatically closed by the interruption, and three others were offline anyway.

The Spanish neighbors France and Morocco also came to the rescue.

Morocco said that 900mW power were transferred through two high voltage lines that cross the Gibrar Strait from Fardia to Tariff in southern Spain.

The French operator RTE said it “gradually transfers more electricity to the Spanish border” through its power lines supplying Catalonia in northeastern Spain and the Basque country to the northwest.

RTE said the Iberian network was excluded from 12:38 to 1:30 pm on Monday, when the 400kV line to Catalonia was restored. A minutes later, France delivered 700mW, and RTE said it was later able to increase this by up to 2000 MW.

After all, the power was restored to Spain’s electricity substations in the north, south and west of the peninsula.

At 19:20 on Monday, the network operator said that more than one fifth of demand was restored through own electricity production in Spain and France.

Electricity provider Endesa said he had restored almost 3.5 million customers to 19:15 and had a priority in hospitals and other strategic infrastructure.

Just over an hour later, the head of the Red Eléctrica Eduardo Pritio chief said about 9,200 MW – about 35.1% – were restored.

This figure increases to 61.35% until midnight on Monday and over 99% by 07:00 on Tuesday.

Spain is just now starting to count the costs. The organization of CEOE bosses has evaluated a shot of 1.6 billion euros on the economy.

And playing with political guilt has already begun.

The conservative leader of the Madrid Community Isabel Diaz Ayuso said that the government’s response was slow and ineffective, while the leader of her People’s Party Alberto Nuines Faihoo complained about the “deplorable” image of Spain, which is being sent worldwide.

Despite all the problems, the Spaniards were praised by the government for growing the occasion and displaying solidarity.

Hospitals had reserve diesel generators, so they were able to continue critical care.

Spain’s civil police in the wardrobe said she had saved 13,000 passengers trapped in trains.

Residents in the southern town of Vilanueva de Cordoba came to the aid of passengers stuck on the Owigo train.

Local police in Barcelona returned to the old ways, adjusting the trafficking in the plaza espanya because the lights were out.

The Barcelona subway passengers had to go for safety, using the torches of their mobile phones when their trains crashed into tunnels.

The Girona Conference Center has been transformed into a shelter with 180 beds for people stuck in interruptions of rail.

Although flights across the country were affected, Aena airport operator continued to go through all interruptions with the help of generators.

The telephone batteries ran, the TVs were momentary, and for many Spaniards their only rescue line to the outside world was from a car or radio operation, as radio stations were conducted through the eclipse.

There was an urgent call for blood donations in Madrid before the big weekend of the official holiday.

Pedro Sanchez is determined to learn the lessons and such a crisis will not be repeated.

But energy expert Carlos Kagigal told Spanish television that there is a risk that Spain’s infrastructure is simply not able to cope with all the renewable energy that is being produced.

The electricity network operator warned earlier this year of the risks of excessive renewable energy while closing nuclear power plants.

But a clip of his President Beatrice Coreidor has become a viral since 2021, in which she insisted that Spain has “one of the most favorable and most pre -previously” electric systems in the world and there was no reason to worry.