Cautious Ren in the Resuming Electricity Imports: Only Outside Sun Hours are buying from Spanish on May 12-19. Energy Minister presses France to bet on interconnections.
REN-National Energy Networks decided to increase the limit of Spain electricity imports from Monday, but Only outside the sun hoursafter the total blockade that took place on April 28.
According to REN’s latest decision, which after the blackout of April 28 chose to cut energy purchases from the neighboring country, the ability to interconnect between Portugal and Spain, in the importing direction, will continue to be limited to 1,000 MW between 09:00 and 19:00.
However, this limit is extended to the “2,200 MW in the remaining hours, during the period of May 12th to 19th”It reads in the note published by the electric network manager on its website.
This measure is part of the process of stabilization on the Iberian Electricity Market (Mibel), after the widespread cut in electric supply on April 28 that left Portugal and Spain practically without electricity, as well as a part of the territory of France.
Only on May 8 did REN reopen the importing flow, with a limit of 1000 MW.
Closed airports, traffic congestion and traffic in large cities and lack of fuels were some of the consequences of blackout.
The European network of electricity transport network managers (ENTSO-E in English) announced the creation of a committee to investigate the causes of this blackout, which classified as “exceptional and severe” and which left Portugal and Spain in the dark.
This panel of experts will have to draft a factual report that will constitute the basis of the final report until the maximum period of October 28 this year. The final report on the investigation of the incident should be published, by late, by September 30, 2026.
The Minister of Energy defended the need to press France to bet on increasing interconnections in an interview with. But he believes that “France is not very interested, because it has a lot of nuclear energy.”
“We are facing barriers to the domestic market, which is the European construction pillar, and France, not supporting the speed with which we intended to build these interconnections, is putting barriers to the domestic market,” admitted Maria da Graça Carvalho to the Spanish diary.
