Spain’s grid operator, Red Electrica de Espana (REE), has refuted claims that solar power was responsible for the widespread blackout that recently disrupted life across the Iberian Peninsula, as per Al Jazeera.
The denial comes as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez faces increasing political pressure to explain the cause of the outage.
REE stated on Wednesday that the blackout stemmed from two separate instances of generation loss at substations in southwestern Spain. However, the exact location and cause of these incidents are still under investigation.
Beatriz Corredor, head of REE and a former Socialist minister, defended the reliability of renewable energy sources.
“These technologies are already stable, and they have systems that allow them to operate as a conventional generation system without any safety issues,” she told Cadena SER radio. She also dismissed calls for her resignation.
The blackout, which occurred on Monday, halted trains, shut down airports, and trapped people in elevators, causing widespread disruption in both Spain and Portugal. Services are now largely back to normal.
Data from REE showed that just prior to the system crash, solar energy accounted for 53% of Spain’s electricity production, with wind contributing almost 11%, and nuclear and gas combined making up 15%.
Opposition parties have criticized Prime Minister Sanchez for what they perceive as a delayed response to the crisis, accusing him of concealing potential failures in the government’s investment in expanding the renewable energy sector.
Alberto Nunez Feijoo of the Popular Party (PP) called Sanchez’s response “shameful” and criticized the government’s lack of transparency. PP Secretary General Miguel Tellado has called for an independent investigation by the Spanish parliament, rather than relying solely on the government probe announced by Sanchez.
