Spain Confirms April Iberian Blackout Caused by Technical Failures Not Cyberattack

An official investigation into the massive power outage that struck Spain and Portugal on April 28 concluded that the blackout was caused by multiple technical and planning errors, not a cyberattack. Spain's Energy Minister Sara Aagesen explained that the grid experienced small failures in southern Spain, which triggered a cascading chain reaction, exacerbated by the lack of replacement power plants to balance voltage fluctuations. The outage resulted in Spain losing about 60% of its electricity supply within seconds, impacting critical infrastructure and services, with power restored by early the next day. Authorities confirmed that Spain's power grid lacked sufficient capacity to control voltage changes, partly due to key generation plants not operating, though the specific reasons for this were not disclosed. The investigation, which involved national security analysts, found no evidence of cyber sabotage or foreign interference. The report has helped dispel public speculation linking the blackout to Spain's high renewable energy use, emphasizing instead technical shortcomings and poor grid management.