<h6><strong>Ane Barcos</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The European Commission, which recommends that Member States achieve an electrical interconnection level of 15%, had not only warned of the risk of market inefficiency resulting from low connectivity, but also that the lack of reinforcement in interconnection infrastructure could seriously compromise security of supply in the Iberian Peninsula, increasing the risk of electricity crises like the one that led to the blackout.</strong></h4> Following the unprecedented blackout recorded last Monday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that Spain's electrical interconnection with the rest of Europe stands at just 3%, a figure that falls considerably short of both the 10% target the European Commission had set for 2020 and the 15% target established for 2030, which seeks to ensure that at least that proportion of electricity capacity can be imported or exported if necessary. The European Union has repeatedly pointed out that Spain and Portugal's limited interconnection, which barely reaches 2-3%, turns the Iberian Peninsula into a true "energy island." This weak connection limits Spain's ability to import electricity in emergency situations, as was evident during Monday's blackout. As the government explained on Monday, a sudden loss of 15 gigawatts of electricity generation, equivalent to 60% of national demand at the time, left the country unable to quickly compensate for the drop through imports from neighboring countries. Although France actively collaborated in restoring supply after the blackout, capacity limitations and the temporary disconnection of the Iberian grid from the European electricity system made it difficult for Spain to immediately stabilize its system. The European Union had been stressing the need to strengthen electrical interconnections between member states for years, and reiterated this message after the blackout. The EU executive once again stressed the importance of improving the Iberian Peninsula's electricity interconnection with the rest of Europe, particularly with France. Although the exact causes of the blackout are still being investigated, Brussels emphasized that greater energy integration is essential to strengthening security of supply in the region. "A more integrated and connected Energy Union would undoubtedly strengthen our security of supply, both for electricity and gas. This principle holds true regardless of the cause of the blackout in the Iberian Peninsula," noted EU spokesperson Pula Pinho. In this regard, she added that "this incident highlights, once again, the urgent need to continue making progress on more interconnections, especially with countries like France, to avoid similar situations in the future." Brussels had warned that having more interconnections was not only a matter of market efficiency, but an essential element in ensuring security of supply in the face of extraordinary events. The principle was clear: if a country experiences a sudden drop in generation, it must be able to immediately rely on electricity from its neighbors to maintain the stability of its grid. Spain, however, continues to operate as a "quasi-isolated electricity system" within the European internal market, a weakness that was exposed during Monday's incident. In response to these structural shortcomings, Spain had designed the Electricity Transmission Grid Development Plan 2021-2026. This plan included actions such as strengthening interconnections with France through the Bay of Biscay project, strengthening the northern connection with Portugal, and strengthening the interconnection with Morocco. All of these projects have been considered priorities by the European Commission and are part of the Projects of Common Interest for continental energy integration. The objective of the plan is to progressively improve interchange capacity, move toward meeting the European target of 15% by 2030, and prepare the grid for the massive integration of renewable energies. However, although the plan is moving in the right direction, the improvements planned through 2026 are not sufficient on their own to fully achieve the 15% target.
