Iberdrola, Endesa defend plants' operation during blackout last year amid watchdog probes (updated)
20/04/2026 23:25
Recasts; adds quotes, detail throughout Iberdrola, Endesa defend plants' blackout-day performance CNMC probes utilities over alleged infringements Both CEOs say grid operator REE reacted late ENTSO-E report disputed By David Latona MADRID, April 20 (Reuters) - The CEOs of utilities Iberdrola IBE.MC Spain and Endesa ELE.MC on Monday defended the operation of their companies' power plants during the unprecedented blackout that plunged the Iberian Peninsula into the dark last year. Both executives appeared before a lower house inquiry to face questions from lawmakers, days after the country's energy and antitrust watchdog CNMC launched probes into major energy companies for alleged "serious infringements" leading up to the April 28 outage. Iberdrola Spain's Mario Ruiz-Tagle said the watchdog observed anomalous behaviours at several of Iberdrola's power plants, but did not directly link them to the blackout. He added that once Iberdrola received more information from the CNMC, "we will be able to know what we're accused of and defend ourselves". FINGERS POINTED AT GRID OPERATOR Endesa Chief Executive Jose Bogas said his firm's power plants did not fall short of voltage control duties that day. Instead, Bogas said, grid operator REE REDE.MC should have brought more synchronous generation online, added more hydropower capacity or called on combined-cycle gas plants. In Bogas' view, REE reacted too late and was therefore primarily responsible for what happened - though not necessarily to blame - because it had the tools to prevent it. Ruiz-Tagle echoed the sentiment, saying REE should have operated that day with wider safety margins, as it failed to respond in time and made the problem worse with many of the measures it adopted to control voltage. According to the antitrust watchdog, REE is being investigated for "very serious infringements", which could lead to fines of up to 60 million euros ($70.7 million). The watchdog lists as an example of such breaches "causing an interruption of the power supply without justified cause or without following protocols, affecting safety". REE said that previous reports found the blackout had been caused by multiple factors and "supplied technical evidence that there was no breach (by REE) that could have been a determining cause". A report released last month by the expert panel of Europe's power grid operators' association ENTSO-E did not assign blame to any single actor. Instead, it concluded the blackout resulted from a combination of factors including oscillations, gaps in voltage and reactive power control and uneven stabilisation capabilities. Endesa's Bogas said ENTSO-E's report had many shortcomings and failed to address important issues, adding there was a conflict of interest because REE was part of the organisation. ($1 = 0.8486 euros) (Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Stephen Coates) ((david.latona@thomsonreuters.com; +34 918 35 68 13;))