EU Calls on Spain to Cut Gas Use for Stability Post-Blackout
(Bloomberg) The European Commission has called on Spain to move away from using gas-fired power plants to stabilize its electricity system after last year’s blackout, saying better grids, interconnections and more storage should replace the emergency measures.
Voltage fluctuations were among the key causes of the nationwide outage, and since then, grid operator Red Eléctrica has been keeping more gas-fired plants online to maintain stability. The average daily minimum output from gas plants has risen about 40% from pre-blackout levels, according to Bloomberg calculations based on ENTSO-E data.
While Spain has taken measures to strengthen the resilience of the energy system since the blackout, it would “benefit from taking further steps to enable its transmission system operator to move away from the current increased use of gas power plants to maintain voltage stability,” the commission said in a country report earlier this week.
The country has one of Europe’s most renewable-heavy electricity systems, but its reliance on solar and wind makes the grid more complex to manage during disturbances. While traditional sources of power generation such as natural gas, nuclear and hydro continually help regulate the grid’s voltage, most wind and solar plants currently do not.
Spain’s move to using more gas-fired generation is meant to be a temporary measure, but it’s not clear when it will end. Alternative systems to help stabilize the grid are expensive and take time to deploy.
Spain’s Ecological Transition Ministry said it’s already taking action to reduce the use of gas-fired power plants in the system, and that the implementation of the operation to strengthen the system is the responsibility of Red Eléctrica. Red Eléctrica didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
“We expect the reinforced operating mode to persist because the political focus on system security risk is still high, with a general election coming in 2027,” said Alexis Stavropoulos, a Spanish power market expert at consultancy Baringa Partners.
The country is increasing investments in energy storage to improve flexibility. By 2030, Spain hopes to have 22.5 gigawatts of storage, but as of February 2026 it stood at 8.15 gigawatts, according to the European Commission’s country report.
Last week, the Commission also approved a new €9 billion mechanism to help Spain procure additional backup power supplies as it continues to expand renewable generation.
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