On April 28, 2025, Spain, Portugal, and parts of southern France plunged into darkness, suffering one of Europe’s worst blackouts in history. For 18 hours, 60 million people grappled with halted trains, darkened streets, and paralysed businesses, while three deaths in Galicia underscored the human toll. The Spanish government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, has scrambled to restore power and public trust, but its response reeks of obfuscation and outright deception. Far from seeking truth, Sánchez and his administration are burying the blackout’s cause under a pile of platitudes, desperate to shield their net zero dogma from scrutiny. This is not governance—it’s a scandalous betrayal of a nation left in the dark.
The blackout’s origins are murky, but the Spanish government’s refusal to provide clear answers fuels suspicion. Red Eléctrica, Spain’s grid operator, reported a “strong oscillation in power flow” and a “very significant loss of generation,” with 15 gigawatts—60% of national demand—vanishing in seconds. Initial theories pointed to a technical failure, possibly in a high-voltage interconnector with France, or a “generation disconnection” event. Yet, Sánchez has dismissed speculation, particularly around renewable energy, as “lies,” insisting that “no hypothesis is being ruled out” while offering no substantive explanation. This vagueness is not caution—it’s a deliberate smokescreen to protect Spain’s aggressive net zero agenda.
Spain is Europe’s poster child for renewable energy, with solar and wind accounting for 56% of electricity in 2024 and 71% at the blackout’s onset (59% solar, 12% wind). Just days before, the nation celebrated running its grid entirely on green power, a milestone hailed by Sánchez’s government as proof of net zero’s triumph. But when the lights went out, the narrative shifted. Sánchez and Red Eléctrica’s chairwoman, Beatriz Corredor, swiftly denied any link to renewables, claiming demand was low and supply ample. This reeks of denialism, especially when the grid operator itself admitted a “massive loss of renewable power” destabilised the system.
The truth is inconvenient for Sánchez’s net zero zealots. Renewable energy, while laudable in theory, introduces volatility that Spain’s ageing grid is ill-equipped to handle. Unlike gas or coal plants, which provide “inertia” through spinning turbines to stabilise frequency, solar and wind lack this cushion, making grids brittle during sudden disruptions. Experts have long warned that Spain’s rapid renewable rollout outpaces infrastructure upgrades, with insufficient battery storage to manage solar’s daytime surges or wind’s variability. RBC estimates the blackout’s economic cost at €2.25–4.5 billion, blaming government complacency over a solar-heavy system. Yet, Sánchez dismisses these concerns, doubling down on plans to hit 81% renewable energy by 2030.
The government’s evasiveness suggests a deeper fear: admitting that net zero policies may have amplified the crisis. Instead of transparency, Sánchez has politicised the blackout, attacking critics who question renewables as peddlers of misinformation. His call for a European Commission investigation feels like a stalling tactic, deferring accountability while the public reels. Meanwhile, Red Eléctrica has ruled out a cyberattack, human error, and extreme weather, leaving the “freak incident” excuse as a flimsy catch-all. This refusal to engage with the renewable question—despite the grid’s heavy reliance on solar at the time—betrays a government more committed to ideology than reality.
Public sentiment on platforms like X reflects growing distrust. Posts have branded the blackout a consequence of “net zero chaos,” with some claiming Spain’s green triumph preceded a catastrophic failure. While these voices risk oversimplification, they capture a frustration Sánchez ignores at his peril. Energy analyst Kathryn Porter has warned that renewable-heavy grids, like the UK’s, face similar risks, citing 500 breaches of operational limits each winter. Spain’s blackout, far from an anomaly, may be a harbinger of net zero’s Achilles’ heel: a grid that collapses under its own ambition.
Sánchez’s government has form when it comes to dodging hard truths. Its minority coalition, propped up by green activists, thrives on net zero rhetoric but flinches at accountability. The blackout’s aftermath—schools closed, hospitals on generators, commuters trapped in tunnels—demands candour, not platitudes. Yet, Sánchez offers only promises of “investigations” and vague assurances that “this cannot happen again.” If the cause is indeed a grid overstretched by renewables, as some experts suggest, his refusal to confront this possibility is not just negligent—it’s a lie by omission that endangers millions.
The Spanish people deserve better. They deserve a government that prioritises reliable power over green dogma, one that invests in storage and grid resilience rather than chasing headlines. Sánchez’s net zero zealotry has turned a nation into a cautionary tale, and his lies about the blackout only deepen the betrayal. Until he faces the truth—that renewables, without robust infrastructure, can destabilise as much as they decarbonise—Spain risks more days of darkness. The lights are back on, but the shadow of deceit lingers.
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