Why are the power systems linked?
Spain and Portugal have tightly linked power systems with few cross-border links to France and the rest of the EU.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive, has long wanted to change that fact, strongly encouraging EU countries to build more interconnections. Officials argue the move would improve energy security and ease electricity flows across borders. Madrid, Lisbon and Paris have repeatedly signaled a willingness to move forward with that plan, but advances have been slow.
Although Spain and France are now finally forging ahead with a new link in the Basque country, the EU’s energy regulator association warned last year that not enough electricity transmission capacity has been freed up, despite legal requirements to do so.
It remains unclear whether more connections to Europe would have ameliorated the blackout.
On one hand, more cross-border links could have strengthened Spain’s ability to balance supply and demand and import electricity, said Pratheeksha Ramdas, a senior power analyst at the Rystad consultancy. Madrid’s current limited trading capacity with France “constrains rapid response capabilities during large-scale disturbances,” she said.
Conversely, “increased connectivity might risk propagating frequency instability into neighboring systems,” she added, creating a domino effect of cascading blackouts across other EU countries.
