Latest news with #BeatrizCorredor
The Independent
30-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Chair of Spanish electricity grid hits out at ‘misinformation' after mass blackouts
The chair of Spain's electricity grid operator Redeia has hit out at 'misinformation' after mass blackouts hit the country and neighbouring Portugal. Redeia has been under scrutiny since the blackout on 28 April, which left vast swathes of Spain and Portugal without power. Beatriz Corredor has consistently deflected blame, pinning the responsibility on power-generating companies. Ms Corredor survived an impromptu shareholder vote on her removal, despite facing intense criticism over a massive power outage that plunged most of Spain and Portugal into darkness in April. The vote took place at a tense shareholder meeting on Monday, where Ms Corredor also pledged record investment. The CEO ruled out setting aside provisions to cover any costs related to the blackout, saying Redeia always followed existing rules and procedures. But Corredor acknowledged risks to its reputation. "The numerous episodes of misinformation ... have intensified pressure and public scrutiny over Redeia," she added. Corredor pledged to defend the company and its workforce "in the face of unfounded, and sometimes very serious, accusations seeking to undermine our reputation". Energy firms, analysts and politicians have called for more investment in Spain's power grids. "The company's next strategic plan will involve the execution of an unprecedented volume of investments," Corredor said, without giving details. Investments have been increasing in recent years and will surpass 1.4 billion euros ($1.6 billion) in 2025, Garcia Merino said. A government report into the incident highlighted Redeia's failure to calculate the correct energy mix as a contributing factor to the grid's inability to cope with a voltage surge that ultimately triggered the outage. Large energy companies in Spain have also voiced criticism regarding the management of the power link with France. Alongside Chief Executive Roberto Garcia Merino, Ms Corredor defended Redeia's actions both before and during the blackout, citing its planning of power sources for voltage control and its management of the interconnector with France. Ultimately, Ms Corredor secured the backing of shareholders, who voted to keep her in position following the unplanned ballot initiated by one shareholder. It took almost 23 hours for Spain's electrical grid to declare that systems were back up and running as normal, with the outage affecting traffic lights, street lamps, payment terminals, and screens. Domestic and international transport was badly hit with metro systems grinding to a halt and communication networks faltering, leaving many wondering what had gone wrong. Hundreds of flights were canceled at airports across Spain and Portugal.
Reuters
30-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Renewables account for 59% of Spain's electricity so far this year
MADRID, June 30 (Reuters) - Renewable energy sources covered 59% of the Spanish electricity demand so far this year, national electricity grid operator Redeia's ( opens new tab chair Beatriz Corredor said on Monday. Renewables accounted for a record 56% of electricity demand in 2024, according to Redeia data released in December.
Reuters
18-06-2025
- Climate
- Reuters
Spain's grid operator to release own report on April blackout
MADRID, June 18 (Reuters) - Spanish grid operator Redeia ( opens new tab will release its own report on the causes of the massive blackout that hit the Iberian peninsula on April 28, its chair, Beatriz Corredor, told a news briefing on Wednesday. A report released on Tuesday by the government said a failure by the operator to calculate the correct mix of energy was one of the factors hindering the grid's ability to cope with a surge in voltage that led to the outage. The grid's operations chief Concha Sanchez said the system was in "absolutely normal conditions" at noon just before the blackout.
NDTV
28-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Spain Denies Power Grid "Experiment" Caused Massive Blackout
Madrid: Spain's government on Wednesday denied a press report that an "experiment" on the national power grid caused a huge blackout that crippled the Iberian Peninsula one month ago. Authorities have been scrambling to find answers after the April 28 outage cut telecommunications, halted transport and plunged cities into darkness across Spain and Portugal. Conservative British daily newspaper The Telegraph reported Friday, citing unnamed sources in Brussels, that Spanish authorities "were conducting an experiment before the system crashed, probing how far they could push reliance on renewables in preparation for Spain's rushed phase-out of nuclear reactors from 2027". "The government seems to have pushed the pace recklessly, before making the necessary investments in a sophisticated 21st-century smart grid capable of handling it," it added. Asked about the report in parliament, Ecological Transition Minister Sara Aagesen said: "It is false, totally false, that the government carried out any sort of experiment on the grid prior to the outage." "It is irresponsible to assign blame while the cause of the blackout remains under investigation. And it is equally irresponsible to claim that the government was conducting experiments," she added. The head of Spain's electricity operator REE, Beatriz Corredor, also called the report "completely false" in an interview with Spanish daily newspaper La Vanguardia published on Wednesday. "There was no excess of renewable energy" on April 28, nor short circuits, overloads or cyberattacks on the grid, she said, dismissing several widely circulated theories. Instead she said it appears that producers of "conventional" energy such as gas, nuclear and hydro plants "failed to properly regulate voltage" on the day of the outage. She did not say if this played a direct role in the blackout.
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Spain denies power grid 'experiment' caused giant blackout
Spain denies power grid 'experiment' caused giant blackout (Photo: AP) Spain's government on Wednesday denied a press report that an "experiment" on the national power grid caused a huge blackout that crippled the Iberian Peninsula one month ago. Authorities have been scrambling to find answers after the April 28 outage cut telecommunications, halted transport and plunged cities into darkness across Spain and Portugal. Conservative British daily newspaper The Telegraph reported Friday, citing unnamed sources in Brussels, that Spanish authorities "were conducting an experiment before the system crashed, probing how far they could push reliance on renewables in preparation for Spain's rushed phase-out of nuclear reactors from 2027". "The government seems to have pushed the pace recklessly, before making the necessary investments in a sophisticated 21st-century smart grid capable of handling it," it added. Asked about the report in parliament, Ecological transition minister Sara Aagesen said: "It is false, totally false, that the government carried out any sort of experiment on the grid prior to the outage." "It is irresponsible to assign blame while the cause of the blackout remains under investigation. And it is equally irresponsible to claim that the government was conducting experiments," she added. The head of Spain's electricity operator REE, Beatriz Corredor, also called the report "completely false" in an interview with Spanish daily newspaper La Vanguardia published on Wednesday. "There was no excess of renewable energy" on April 28, nor short circuits, overloads or cyberattacks on the grid, she said, dismissing several widely circulated theories. Instead she said it appears that producers of "conventional" energy such as gas, nuclear and hydro plants "failed to properly regulate voltage" on the day of the outage. She did not say if this played a direct role in the blackout.
