The Iberian BESS paradox

On a Monday in April 2025, 60 million people across Spain and Portugal lost power. The blackout was no minor technical accident, and it exposed the Achilles’ heel of the Iberian energy transition. The system collapsed because it lacked sufficient storage, because synchronous generators were being displaced, and because the interconnection with France remains a bottleneck.

By

João Correia

24 Jul 2026

On a Monday in April 2025, 60 million people across Spain and Portugal lost power. The blackout was no minor technical accident, and it exposed the Achilles’ heel of the Iberian energy transition. The system collapsed because it lacked sufficient storage, because synchronous generators were being displaced, and because the interconnection with France remains a …

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