Red Eléctrica, the Spanish electrical system’s technical operator, states that it has observed “sharp voltage variations in the Spanish peninsular electrical system over the last two weeks, such that they could impact the security of supply if the proposed changes are not implemented.” These operational changes have been requested from the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC), which quickly approved them.
Red Eléctrica contacted the CNMC on Tuesday with a request for the express modification of up to four electricity system management protocols. These changes, according to the supervisor, are aimed at “mitigating the sudden voltage variations” that Red Eléctrica itself has linked to “sudden program changes, particularly from renewable generation,” as well as excessively long response times from the conventional power plants responsible for voltage control.
The company, whose largest shareholder is the State (20% of the capital), has for the first time focused on the impact that the massive entry of non-dispatchable renewables is having on the grid. This factor was excluded from its report on the April 25 blackout, which affected the entire country and even Portugal, and from the repeated public statements made by Red Eléctrica and the government regarding the reasons for the so-called “energy zero.”
