Spain’s National High Court will investigate whether a cyberattack caused this week’s major power grid failure.
Spain has initiated an inquiry into the recent widespread power outage to ascertain if a cyberattack was the root cause of the blackout that affected most of the Iberian Peninsula.
The Spanish government declared a state of emergency on Monday after a midday blackout impacted Spain and neighboring Portugal, with brief effects in parts of France. The outage left millions without power, causing disruptions to roads and airports. While power has largely been restored, transportation services continue to face disruptions.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Spain’s High Court announced that Judge Jose Luis Calama has ordered preliminary investigations to evaluate if the blackout resulted from cyber sabotage.
The National Cryptologic Center, grid operator Red Electrica (REE), and the police have been directed to submit reports within ten days, detailing the causes and circumstances surrounding the outage.
Calama stated that although the cause remains unknown, “cyberterrorism is among the possible explanations.”
REE stated on Tuesday that its initial assessment had ruled out a cyberattack. System Operations Chief Eduardo Prieto mentioned during a news briefing that solar generation might be involved, but it was too early to make definitive conclusions.
Earlier, Portugal’s grid operator, Redes Energeticas Nacionais (REN), suggested that a “rare atmospheric phenomenon” over Spain, resulting from “extreme temperature variations,” could have caused the blackout.
Spanish officials have not yet confirmed the cause. On Monday evening, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated that there was no conclusive information available.
Power has now been restored to almost all of Spain and Portugal, although both countries remain in a state of emergency. On Tuesday morning, REE reported that electricity had been restored to 99% of Spain. The transport minister cautioned that some trains, including high-speed rail services, would still operate on reduced schedules.
Experts suggest that determining the exact cause of the failure could take weeks. Some have highlighted Spain’s growing dependence on renewable energy, particularly solar power, as a potential contributing factor.
Sanchez dismissed these claims, stating at a press briefing on Tuesday that “Those linking the blackout to the lack of nuclear power are either lying or demonstrating their ignorance.”
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