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Spain's power blackout: what went wrong?

Energy from solar and wind has been scrutinised as a factor in the electricity outage earlier this year.

On the morning of the 28th of April, Spain lost electric power equivalent to that generated by ten nuclear plants, leaving the whole of the Iberian Peninsula, including Portugal and parts of France, without electricity for up to 12 hours. We examine the cause of the blackout that affected millions of people, and the role of renewable energy.

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Presented and produced by Ashish Sharma

(Picture: People shop for groceries using their phone as a flashlight during the widespread power outage that struck Spain and Portugal in April 2025. Credit: Getty Images)

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17 minutes

Broadcast

  • Mon 25 Aug 202507:32GMT

Podcast