… but mainly outside daylight hours
With a cloak of silence over what caused the ‘Great Iberian Blackout’ last month, Portugal has returned to importing cheap electricity from Spain – but “only outside daylight hours”.
Lusa reports today that grid operator REN (Redes Energéticas Nacionais) “has decided to increase the limit on electricity imports from Spain following the total blockade it imposed after the April 28 blackout in the two countries, which was triggered in the Spanish system.
“According to the latest decision from REN, which after the 28 April blackout opted to cut off energy purchases from Portugal’s neighbour, the interconnection capacity between the two Iberian nations, in the importing direction, will continue to be limited to 1,000 MW between 9 am and 7 pm.
However, according to a note published by the electricity grid manager on its website, this limit will be extended to “2,200 MW in the remaining hours, during the period from May 12-19”.
The measure is part of the ongoing stabilisation process for the Iberian electricity market (Mibel), following the blackout, which also affected parts of France, as well as internet services in Morocco.
But as to the causes of the power-outage, we are all still (inexplicably, in the opinion of many) waiting: a panel of experts has been commissioned by the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-Ehas ) to “draw up a factual report that will form the basis of the final report by October 28 this year at the latest.
“The final report on the investigation into the incident must be published by September 30 2026 at the latest”, concludes Lusa, suggesting authorities are keen to put as much distance between the blackout that plunged Portugal and Spain into chaos, and the report explaining what caused it, as they can.
source material: LUSA
