Massive blackout hits Spain

MADRID, SPAIN - A blackout that struck Spain's second-largest city of Barcelona snarled traffic and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, authorities said.

Officials said they believe the outage, which struck July 23 around 11 a.m. in Spain, was triggered by a faulty cable that fell and caused problems in several substations. Around 350,000 households and businesses lost power at some point, and more than 100,000 remained powerless that night.

Firefighters reported a flood of calls from people stuck in elevators, and police officers were sent to major intersections to direct traffic due to failed lights. Several subway lines also were affected, however, the airport was not.

Officials said at least one major hospital was relying on generator power to light operating rooms.

A city official speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to talk to the media said around 30,000 households and businesses would be without power until July 24, and that as many as 80,000 would have to wait longer, possibly weeks.

Red Electrica, which manages Spain's power grid, said more than half the power supply had been restored within four hours. The outage affected around 350,000 customers of electricity operator Fecsa Endesa, Industry Minister Joan Clos said. Around 1.5 million people live in Barcelona.

Clos, a former mayor of Barcelona, ruled out sabotage, blaming the blackout on a substation cable that fell, causing a chain-reaction failure in as many as six other substations. It also caused a fire in one substation. Clos said the reasons for the accident were being investigated.

Related News

japan microgrids

Revenue from Energy Storage for Microgrids to Total More Than $22 Billion in the Next Decade

NEW YORK - A new report from Navigant Research examines the global market for energy storage for microgrids (ESMG), providing an analysis of trends and market dynamics, with forecasts for capacity and revenue that extend through 2026.

Interest in energy storage-enabled microgrids is growing alongside an increase in solar PV and wind deployments. Although not required for microgrids to operate, energy storage systems (ESSs) have emerged as an increasingly valuable component of distributed energy networks because of their ability to effectively integrate renewable generation.

“There are several key drivers resulting in the growth of energy storage-enabled microgrids globally, including the desire to…

READ MORE

California scorns fossil fuel but can't keep the lights on without it

READ MORE

canada-electricity-exports-at-risk-amid-growing-us-canada-trade-tensions

Canada's Electricity Exports at Risk Amid Growing U.S.-Canada Trade Tensions

READ MORE

ieso control room

Ontario's electricity operator kept quiet about phantom demand that cost customers millions

READ MORE

solar power construction

Coronavirus could stall a third of new U.S. utility solar this year: report

READ MORE