Spain Advances Renewable Energy Shift One Year After Major Blackout

April 28, 2025, a blackout affected all of Spain and much of Portugal, marking Europe’s first system black event in recent memory. The incident caused traffic signals to fail, mobile networks to stop working, petrol stations to halt pumping fuel, and supermarkets to be unable to process payments.

Madrid’s metro stopped, requiring passengers to be evacuated from carriages. Carlos Condori, a 19-year-old construction worker, told AFP at the time that people were stunned as such an event had never occurred in Spain. He noted the lack of phone coverage prevented him from contacting family or going to work.

Causes Power was mostly restored in the days following the blackout. The pan-European grid operator ENTSO-E's final report attributed the event to a perfect storm of governance failures, particularly related to voltage issues. When voltage is too high or low, power lines and generators disconnect, leading to cascading failures.

Initial media reports and debates blamed solar power and renewables for lacking inertia, but investigations concluded this was not a factor. Chris Rosslowe, a senior energy analyst at Ember, stated that Spain’s trajectory toward reducing fossil power and increasing renewables has strengthened since the blackout.

There was a temporary increase in gas-fired generation post-blackout to aid voltage control, but this was due to a lack of alternatives like battery storage. Rosslowe noted that half of the 2025 gas increase resulted from lower wind and hydro output.

Spain’s grid operator has since allowed wind and solar to contribute to voltage control, with renewables providing these services since April.

An expert pointed out it was unfortunate a blackout was needed to change regulations allowing renewables to control grid voltage. Amid a conflict in the Middle East that closed the Strait of Hormuz and raised gas prices, Spain's renewable investments have provided relative protection.

Jan Rosenow, a professor of energy and climate policy at the University of Oxford, said wholesale electricity prices would have been 40% higher in the first half of 2024 without recent wind and solar growth. José Luis Rodríguez, head of organization at the Meridiano Institute, stated that renewable energy is guaranteeing affordable prices and protecting the economy unlike in other EU areas.

In March 2026, Spain's average power prices were €43 per MWh, the third lowest in Europe after Finland and Portugal, compared to €99 per MWh in Germany and €144 per MWh in Italy. Rosslowe attributed this to a weakened link between Spanish electricity and gas prices.