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Spain reveals cause of massive blackout that cancelled flights and left 80,000 stranded

Spain reveals cause of massive blackout that cancelled flights and left 80,000 stranded

Yahoo18-06-2025
A report released by authorities in Madrid has revealed that a massive power outage in Spain and Portugal in April was the result of technical and planning errors.
The outage, which left tens of millions without power, was triggered by a chain reaction of small grid failures concentrated in southern Spain, according to Spain's Ecological Transition Minister Sara Aagesen.
Speaking at a press conference, Ms Aagesen ruled out the possibility of a cyberattack.
She cited "the poor planning" by grid operators as a contributing factor, as they failed to find a replacement for a power plant intended to balance power fluctuations.
The blackout on 28 April began shortly after 12.30pm and lasted through the evening, disrupting businesses, transit systems, cellular networks, internet connectivity, and other critical infrastructure.
Within five seconds, Spain lost 15gigawatts of electricity, approximately 60 per cent of its supply. Portugal, connected to Spain's grid, also experienced a blackout, while island territories were unaffected.
About 500 flights were cancelled, affecting 80,000 passengers, and many travellers slept in train stations as they were unable to get home.
Power was fully restored by the early hours of the following day.
The government report included analysts from Spain's national security agencies, which concluded, according to the minister, there were no indications of cyber-sabotage by foreign actors.
The only solid information made public shortly after the system went down came from Spain's grid operator Red Eléctrica, which had narrowed down the source of the outage to two separate incidents in southern Spain where substations had failed.
In the weeks following the blackout, citizens and experts were left wondering what triggered the event in a region not known for power outages and igniting a fierce debate about whether Spain's high levels of renewable power had something to do with the grid failing.
Spain is at the forefront of Europe's transition to renewable energy, having generated nearly 57 per cent of its electricity in 2024 from renewable energy sources like wind, hydropower and solar. The country is also phasing out its nuclear plants.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pushed back against such speculation and defended renewables.
He asked for patience and said that his government would not 'deviate a single millimetre' from its energy transition plans, which include a goal of generating 81 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
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22nd District race heats up as endorsements roll in
22nd District race heats up as endorsements roll in

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time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

22nd District race heats up as endorsements roll in

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'Like dogs': Video appears to show migrants held in federal building in NYC

time15 hours ago

'Like dogs': Video appears to show migrants held in federal building in NYC

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Barcelona residents fear sea level rise is swallowing their beloved beaches
Barcelona residents fear sea level rise is swallowing their beloved beaches

Boston Globe

time16 hours ago

  • Boston Globe

Barcelona residents fear sea level rise is swallowing their beloved beaches

The fishing town turned summering spot is no stranger to change. Fishing was once the main economic activity in the 'Maresme,' or marshlands, north of Barcelona, but everything changed in 1986 when Spain's second-largest city was named the host of the 1992 Olympic Games. Where once there were just rocks, breakwaters, and thin stretches of sand, several new beaches were constructed, helping turn the city into one of Europe's premier tourism hotspots. Advertisement Climate change is threatening that transformation in small coastal towns like Montgat by intensifying storms that erode coastline and driving sea-level rise. While authorities have responded by replacing the lost sand and building some breakwaters, the efforts haven't kept pace with the coastline's erosion. Ramon Torra, manager of Barcelona's Metropolitan Area, acknowledges that simply adding more sand isn't enough. 'What we must do first isn't just replenish the sand, but rather stop the loss of it,' Torra said. 'In the case of the 'Maresme' region here, we are talking about structures such as breakwaters because they confine the beach.' Advertisement Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. As the planet warms, sea levels rise, largely due to the melting of glaciers and the thermal expansion of seawater as it grows warmer. That increases the risk of coastal flooding and storm surges that lead to land loss. At Montgat and nearby beaches, the main damage takes place in the fall and winter, when destructive weather systems known locally by the Spanish acronym DANA bring powerful storms to southern Europe. The storms have wreaked havoc on Montgat's coastline in recent years. In April 2024, a storm system brought waves that climbed as high as 16 feet and left parts of Montgat virtually without a beach. Afterward, a line of rocks serving as a breakwater was built after the waves reached a line of beachfront houses. Montgat Mayor Andreu Absil reckons only a third of the beach survived from a year ago. He stressed the importance of the beach for locals. 'The beaches are the last democratic space we have,' Absil said. 'And they should be for all of us to use and enjoy all year long.' Barcelona's authorities estimate $70.2 million is needed to stabilize the coastline in metropolitan Barcelona's 26 miles of coastline, 18.6 miles of which are beaches like Montgat. Add to that the yearly maintenance costs after storms. Scientists say the biggest problem will arrive when the sea reaches the town's infrastructure, including the train line, homes, and businesses. Advertisement The rate of sea level rise portends more loss, academics say. Agustín Sánchez-Arcilla, a maritime engineer at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, said current trends show sea levels along the Catalan coast are four times higher today than three decades ago. He said it has risen by 5.5 inches in 25 years while waves are on average 11.8 inches higher. 'So we don't need to predict it will accelerate. We can say already it has multiplied by four since the 1990s,' he said, adding that he believes the time for climate adaptation is now. Those measures include building seawalls, planting vegetation as a barrier to the sea, and more. Local business owners in the town depend on summer tourism and worry what could take hold when the sea swallows up more sand. Those who come year after year for the fresh seafood and cold beer share the concern. José Luís Vélez, a retiree, has been coming to the same beach bar for years, having witnessed the changes Montgat underwent after the '92 Olympics, as well as its coastline in retreat. 'It's been great but the sea has started to erode all the sand. And we aren't seeing people really doing something about it. So we think this could have an expiration date,' Vélez said.

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