Latest news and stories about energy grid in Portugal for expats and residents.
One year after the April 2025 blackout, the Portuguese government reports that it has already implemented the majority of recommendations from the Technical Advisory Group (GAT) to improve electrical grid resilience and governance.
PSD deputy Paulo Moniz, author of the report on the blackout, defends the Government's response on April 28, 2025, and says there was no awareness of the existing gaps in the country.
Following the blackout on 28 April 2025, the Spanish government has apportioned blame between the national grid operator and energy producers, tightened supervision, and announced increased infrastructure investment. The blackout, which affected the entire Iberian Peninsula, originated in Spain due to a voltage overload that the system failed to control. While the government points to poor planning by Red Elétrica de España (REE) and failures by energy companies, the operator and industry associations have traded counter-accusations regarding protocol compliance and grid management. In response, Spain has launched investigations into major energy firms, introduced urgent measures to improve grid stability, and announced a significant increase in investment for electricity transmission and distribution networks through 2030.
A year ago, the Portuguese mainland suffered a blackout. Ten minutes later, the National Energy Network (REN) requested the activation of power plants with Blackstart capability—plants capable of starting from zero. However, several attempts were needed before the first secure electrical islands could be created.
The blackout that affected the entire Iberian Peninsula on April 28, 2025, originated in Spain.
Greater control of electricity voltage, enhanced monitoring, increased international cooperation, and simplification of laws are recommended.
Resilience must be ensured locally, selectively and cost-effectively, and not through oversizing the grid, the report states.
One year after the major blackout that hit the Iberian Peninsula in April 2025, the author argues that Portugal has focused more on political announcements than on tangible operational improvements. The text criticizes the confusion between Civil Emergency Planning and Civil Protection, warning that strategic long-term prevention is being sacrificed for immediate crisis management. It concludes by questioning whether the country is truly more resilient or if the public has simply been lulled into a false sense of security.
REN argued in Parliament this Tuesday that the core projects of its electricity and gas investment plans are 'necessary for the normal operation of the networks', deferring the decision on complementary projects to the Government. In the parliamentary committee on Environment and Energy, during hearings requested by the PS and PSD, the company's administrator...
The vice-president of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) highlighted this Wednesday that the April 2025 blackout originated in Spain, but “could have started in any country”, and that it is important to “learn” in order to take preventive measures. "It is very important, in a political context, to reinforce that these recommendations [from the European technical investigation...]
Audio recordings between experts reveal new information
Home News Audio recordings bring new details to the cause of the Portugal and Spain blackout Audio recordings bring new details to the cause of the Portugal and Spain blackout The Portugal News reported on the causes of the Iberian blackout in April 2025; however, new information about audio reco
Almost a month since EDP announced that it had “established energy to 100% of clients affected by the storms” that battered the country from the last days of January into The post “Isolated and abandoned” – people still without electricity two months after Storm Kristin appeared first on Portugal Resident.
Home News Causes of the blackout in Portugal and Spain revealed Causes of the blackout in Portugal and Spain revealed The final report from European experts confirms that the Iberian blackout was caused by cascading failures.
The technical report on the power outage that affected Portugal concludes that the origin was in Spain, and it is now up to the national regulator to evaluate consequences, such as potential compensation, the Minister of Environment said today.
From a technical point of view, she added, “the main origin was insufficient voltage control on the Spanish side”
European Commissioner for Energy says the European Grids package will “help to modernise” community networks.
Final report reveals failures in voltage level control within the Spanish electrical system, but acknowledges that such a phenomenon had never caused a blackout before and states that there are solutions to prevent it.
The final report by European experts confirms that the Iberian blackout was caused by cascading failures and recommends strengthening regulatory frameworks and coordination between grid operators and major producers to prevent similar events. Experts did not assign legal responsibility, leaving that assessment to national authorities. The investigation highlights that the incident on 28 April 2025 was the most serious and unprecedented in the European electrical system in over 20 years, resulting from a combination of factors including voltage control gaps and rapid production shutdowns. Experts clarified that the issue was not the use of renewable energy itself, but rather how voltage control is implemented across all generation units.
The final report regarding the power outage, as assessed by European experts.
The article explains Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology, which enables electric vehicles (EVs) to act as mobile batteries by sharing energy with the electrical grid or a home. V2G allows bidirectional energy flow, meaning EVs can store electricity during charging and feed it back into the grid when needed, helping to optimize energy consumption and support grid stability. This technology promotes the integration of electric mobility into a sustainable, resilient, and autonomous energy system, especially as society moves toward electrification. European distribution system operators are working to standardize and implement V2G protocols, facilitating its widespread adoption. The approach involves advanced infrastructure capable of managing bidirectional energy exchange, turning EVs into flexible energy resources beyond transportation.
For at least one third of the total hours, half of the electricity produced in Portugal came from wind or solar, according to a report by the think tank Ember.
The national electricity system's consumption reached record levels this Tuesday, surpassing 10 gigawatts (GW) for the first time, according to data from REN, at a time when a large part of the country was under a yellow warning due to the cold. Thus, on Tuesday at 19:45, “a new record peak consumption of the National Electricity System was registered...”
This episode of P24 is part of a special year-end review series. We revisit the topics that defined 2025, and we’ll also look ahead to what awaits us in 2026.
