Spain has expanded its investigation into the widespread blackout

Spain's competition and energy regulator, the CNMC, has added new companies to its investigation into the circumstances surrounding the massive power outage that occurred last year in Spain and Portugal. 

Reuters reports on the expansion of the list of suspects, which now includes the local subsidiaries of French energy giants TotalEnergies and Engie. 

Previously, the Spanish grid operator Red Electrica, as well as leading energy players—Iberdrola, Naturgy, Endesa, and Repsol—had come under scrutiny. The commission found evidence of systemic violations of industry rules that could have led to the collapse of the power grid. The official investigation began after prolonged monitoring confirmed that certain power plants were not adhering to operational standards. The regulator is attempting to determine whether the energy companies’ actions were coordinated and whether they caused supply disruptions across the entire Iberian Peninsula. 

The CNMC’s findings could lead to significant fines and a revision of the regulatory framework to prevent similar incidents in the future. Experts note that the stability of the European power grid is critically important in the face of global challenges and Russian aggression. The investigation covers the companies’ activities during the extended period leading up to the blackout. Full transparency regarding market operators’ actions remains a priority for the Spanish government and European partners. The final results of the investigation will be made public upon completion of all stages of the inquiry. 

As a reminder, on April 28, 2025, an unprecedented blackout occurred in Europe. Millions of people in Spain, parts of Portugal, and France were left without electricity, mobile service, and the internet. Serious disruptions in the power supply paralyzed infrastructure: air travel, railways, subways, and highways. Power has been restored, but the investigation continues until the authorities of the countries involved definitively identify the causes of the outage.

The European Commission has yet to identify the specific causes of the power outages in Spain and Portugal that began on April 28. They are currently awaiting the experts’ findings.

Spain’s National Court has classified the investigation into the large-scale power outage that occurred on April 28. Investigators are examining whether it could have been a targeted cyberattack.