Massive power outage in the Iberian Peninsula: from chaos to order and vice versa

On 28 April at midday, Red Eléctrica de España [Spanish Electrical Network] (REE) suffered an unprecedented failure that left the entire Spanish state, its neighbours Portugal and Andorra, and parts of southern France without electricity. In some areas, the blackout lasted until well into the night. After an unusual Monday, today [Tuesday 29 April] seems to be starting ‘normally’, with 99 percent of the electricity supply restored and the working day back on track.

[Originally published in Spanish at comunistasrevolucionarios.org]

On Monday 28 April at around 12:30 PM, 15 gigawatts (GW) of electricity generation were lost in five seconds, equivalent to 60 percent of all electricity demand at that time. The system collapsed for hours. Many people were trapped in lifts, trains, metros, airports, etc., and we were left without telecommunications, electrical appliances, public transport (except buses) and traffic lights on the streets.

Chaos did not reign, as the ruling class would have thought, but on the contrary, the self-organisation of workers and residents brought order to the situation. Precisely as in nature, order also arises spontaneously from chaos in society.

The real chaos lies in a system that desperately needs radical measures to secure the energy system and to protect the environment, but which is constantly coming up against limitations and the contradictions inherent in its own functioning. A system governed by private ownership of the means of production instead of democratic and rational planning means, therefore, anarchy and waste.

Everyone is wondering what could have caused this historic blackout. For now, they are saying “no hypothesis should be ruled out”, although some experts are already suggesting that the collapse could’ve been precipitated by overcapacity in the system and a lack of equipment to counteract the instability of renewable energies, combined with a series of other factors.

Renewables under capitalism

The use of renewable energies has received a strong boost in recent years, and made up over 50 percent of the energy sources that produced electricity in Spain in 2024. In other words, of all the energy sources the Spanish state depends on (gas, nuclear, thermal, etc.), there is an increasing shift towards renewable energies such as solar, wind, hydroelectric and biomass.

The use of renewable energies has received a strong boost in recent years, and made up over 50 percent of the energy sources that produced electricity in Spain in 2024 / Image: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons

We must not forget that the European Union has been affected by its former dependence on Russian gas, which has made electricity more expensive across the continent. Its member states are seeking a degree of energy independence through renewables, supposedly also to combat climate change. Such a rapid uptake has meant that, alongside the advantages of these technologies, countries are now confronted with their downsides when they are not accompanied by the necessary investments.

Despite the urgent need for clean, non-polluting energy (although it would be impossible to implement this to its full potential under capitalism), the increased use of renewable energies has implications for traditional electricity grids. Fossil fuel energy generation was based on synchronous generators, which are suitable for energies such as gas that flow in a stable manner.

In contrast, non-synchronous renewable energies (solar, wind, hydroelectric) do not offer the necessary ‘inertia’ [Editor: ‘inertia’ refers to the literal inertia of spinning turbines that are used to generate electricity when burning fossil fuels. In the case of a temporary outage, the turbines literally keep spinning through inertia, so that electricity is still temporarily produced for the grid, preventing complete collapse.]

They are thus more unstable, depending on the greater or lesser intensity of the source that produces them (sun, wind, river flow, etc.). This can cause frequency and voltage anomalies – overloads and imbalances between supply and demand – in a system which must be balanced at all times.

In the event of excess (overcapacity), appropriate solutions are needed to store this energy and not waste it. Otherwise, grid operators may be forced to drastically reduce energy production (known as ‘curtailment’).

Some sources claim that at the time of the blackout, renewable energies accounted for around 70 percent of the total, allegedly caused by a period of ‘high temperatures and strong winds’. This would explain the low inertia that triggered the collapse. For its part, on 9 April, the REE categorically ruled out the possibility of a blackout. So what happened?

The government vs Red Eléctrica

Prime Minister Sánchez has begun to point to the “responsibilities of private operators” without explicitly accusing anyone. He has made it clear that investigations are being launched into Red Eléctrica and its parent company, a commission will be formed to investigate the blackout and that the European Commission will produce an independent report in the coming months.

Furthermore, he has ruled out that renewables are the cause of the problem, let alone that nuclear power is the solution. Above all, he has repeated that this “can never happen again”.

Now that Sánchez has passed the buck to Red Eléctrica, it should be noted that the supposedly public company is, technically, private. Twenty percent of its shares are held by the State Industrial Holdings Company (SEPI), but the remaining 80 percent are freely traded on international markets. In addition, its chairwoman, Beatriz Corredor, receives an annual salary of no less than £470,000.

But the debate goes beyond ‘renewables yes, renewables no’ or ‘public vs. private’. As communists, we must point out the role of the ruling class in the energy sector, as in any other. Antonio Turiel, an energy expert at the CSIC [the Spanish National Research Council], states that:

“The fundamental problem is not so much the drop as the instability of the grid (...). The reason is that a lot of renewable energy has been integrated without the necessary stabilisation systems that should have been put in place and which are now mandatory under regulations.” [emphasis added]

Cheap comes at a high price. He makes it very clear:

“This is offset if you install a series of devices that are obviously expensive and that serve this purpose, so that the system can function in this way. As this has not been done, at one point most of Spain's electricity was being supplied by photovoltaic power, which is somewhat inflexible and could not be adapted. So what happened? Some systems began to fail and there was a cascade effect.”

There we have it: the problem is not that renewables have increased their share of energy production, but that this has not been accompanied by the necessary investment by the electricity oligopoly (ENDESA, Iberdrola, Naturgy, etc.) to make it work as safely and efficiently as possible, because they do not want to sacrifice a single penny of their super-profits.

What's more, the electricity oligopoly is exerting enormous pressure to prevent the closure of nuclear power plants for a very specific reason: after decades of operation, they have long since paid for themselves and now offer profits at virtually no cost. Of course, for capitalists, these profits take precedence over the risks and accidents that increasingly ageing nuclear facilities can cause.

For the nationalisation of the energy sector!

Future investigations may reveal the exact scientific and technical causes of the blackout. In the meantime, the trade unions should form their own commission of inquiry based on workers from the REE and the electricity companies, as it is clear that the ruling class will try to hide the real responsibility for what happened.

Future investigations may reveal the exact scientific and technical causes of the blackout / Image: Danieltarrino, Wikimedia Commons

No politicians or businessmen seek to genuinely improve the electricity infrastructure and its efficiency for the good of society, or to promote renewables to combat the climate crisis at its root. None of these tasks will be accomplished under the chaotic and cost-cutting capitalist system. What happened at the start of the week makes it clear that, despite being an ‘exceptional’ failure, inefficiency and increasing privatisation of key infrastructure are the norm.

It is essential that sectors as important as energy, which mobilise or paralyse entire countries, are nationalised without compensation and under workers' control. Essential services for society cannot be a source of profit for a handful of rich people; they must be under the control of the working class and our families.

Throughout Monday, young people and workers demonstrated their great capacity to organise, coordinate and fill the roles needed during the blackout. We know that not a wheel turns, not a telephone rings, and not a light bulb shines without the kind permission of the working class, who make the world go round.

Only when the working class takes the means of production into its own hands and harmoniously plans the fundamental sectors of the economy will we be able to take advantage of all technical advances (existing and potential) to ensure a world where no home is left without power and where the climate and energy crisis is a problem of the past.

For the nationalisation of the energy sector under workers' control!

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