The factual report published by ENTSO-E didn’t reveal much more than we already knew about the blackout of April 28. Still, until the end of the year we will not have all the answers on the table. What is clear is that Spain is generating more electricity than ever, but it cannot take full advantage of it. The problem does not lie in production, but in lack of interconnections, storage and network capacity.
In the words of energy analysts, Spain continues to be an energy island: barely can exchange 2.8% of its capacity with France, well below the European target of 15% set for 2030. This means that, although solar and wind farms generate surplusesmuch of that clean energy is dumped or lost because it cannot be transferred to other areas or sold to the continent. Therefore, the April blackout was not an isolated event, but a symptom of that structural disconnection. And also, the turning point that has launched the country’s largest electrical modernization plan in decades.
A new energy map. The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has developed the Transportation Network Development Plan 2025-2030. This roadmap seeks in the words of the minister “a change of energy paradigm”. If the previous plan contemplated 2 GW of new demand, it is now planned to meet more than 27 GW, prioritizing industrial projects and clean consumption.
The planned investment amounts to 13.6 billion euros and with a total consumption of 375 TWh in 2030. To supply this demand, it is planned to integrate 159GW of renewable energies and more than 22GW of storage – batteries, hydraulic pumping or green hydrogen -, in what will be the largest leap in electrical capacity in the country.
Goodbye to the bottleneck. One of the pillars of the new plan is the increase in international interconnection capacity. The most emblematic project is the interconnection of the Bay of Biscaycurrently under construction. This 400 kilometer submarine cable – 300 of them under the sea – will connect the stations of Gatika (Spain) and Cubnezais (France). Financed with 1,600 million euros from the European Investment Bank and 578 million from the “Connecting Europe” Mechanism, it will allow the electricity exchange capacity between both countries to double to 5,000 MW in 2028. according to data from Red Eléctrica (REE) and the EIB.
However, it will not be the only link with France. Two new projects are planned for the post-2030 horizon: Navarra–Landes (Olza–Cantegrit) and Aragon–Marsillonwhich will cross the Pyrenees with HVDC (direct current) technology and underground lines to reduce the environmental and social impact. These interconnections seek to maintain the balance of flows between both countries and reach a joint exchange capacity of 8,000 MW.
Towards the south, a third interconnection with Morocco is also being studied, which is would add to the two current submarine cables of 400 kV and 900 MW of total capacity. In parallel, the Canary Islands reinforces its strategic role with a new submarine fiber optic and energy cable to Tarfaya (Morocco), a project that will turn the archipelago into a digital and energy node between Europe and Africa, although not free of geopolitical controversy due to its proximity to Western Sahara.
A more open flow on the peninsula. If we look towards our neighbor, which presents an even more marked situation of energy isolation, we find a relevant advance: the new 400 kV link between Fontefría and Vilafría (Galicia). Its commissioning, scheduled for the end of the year, will allow electrical connections to be reinforced and the waste of renewable energy will be reduced.
The islands are also connected. The plan specifically addresses island electrical systems, where isolation is literal. In the Canary Islands, the Lanzarote–La Graciosa interconnection is planned, while in the Balearic Islands, the Mallorca–Menorca 3 link stands out, designed to reinforce the supply and facilitate the integration of local renewables. Both projects seek to reduce dependence on local generation and improve network stability. According to planning documentsthe total length of submarine lines will increase by 6.3% compared to 2024, reflecting the effort to modernize the maritime links of the Spanish system.
Looking towards capacity. Modernization will not only come from outside. The plan includes the repowering of 6,000 kilometers of circuits, the incorporation of dynamic monitoring systems (DLR) and improvements to 9,500 kilometers of lines, which represents 21% of the current network. These actions, together with the digitalization and automation of the network, will allow the absorption of the largest renewable generation without compromising the security of supply.
A network to improve electrification. The modernization of the network and the new interconnections will make it possible to take advantage of midday solar surpluses, share energy with Europe and reduce renewable discharges that are currently lost due to lack of capacity. Furthermore, the new planning has an industrial dimension: the MITECO emphasizes that it prioritizes projects of clean consumption, such as green hydrogen poles, electro-intensive factories and data centers, which will demand increasingly decarbonized electricity.
The pending challenge. Still, challenges remain. Spain invest only 30 cents in electrical networks for every euro allocated to renewables, less than half the European average. France continues to set the pace for interconnections, often with reluctance due to its nuclear dependence and its role as the dominant node in the European electricity system. Without a faster push in storage, batteries and bureaucracy, the risk is that clean energy will continue to accumulate without being able to be harnessed.
From island to energy node. If everything goes as planned, Spain will go from being an electric island to becoming an energy bridge between Europe and Africa in the next five years. It will not be a simple path: the projects will have to overcome complex environmental processes, local resistance and a bureaucracy that is still moving slowly.
But the reward will be tangible: more stable bills, less dependence on gas and less risk of blackouts. And, above all, a country capable of exporting its sun and wind at competitive prices.
The April blackout it was a warning. Submarine cables, batteries and 400 kV lines are now the answer. Spain has learned that it is not enough to produce clean energy: it must be connected, stored and shared. And that is, finally, the path that begins to illuminate your network.
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