More than 18,000 kilometers between Portugal and Singapore without the need for CAM

Trains lover, we have your plan for summer. It is very possible that we are late but as you will see it is better to prepare it with time, carefully and, above all, asking for all the necessary permits that you will need. Because yes, you will need them. Permits, about 1,200 euros and time. Three weeks, specifically. It is what is needed to cover the railway line that, linking trains and companies, allows all of Europe and much of Asia to reach its southern end. With departure in Laos (Portugal) and arrival in Singapore, we talk about the longest train trip in the world. This is the world’s longest train trip It all depends on how much money we want Euronews than the longest train trip in the world You can take about 1,200 euros and 21 days of journey, taking into account some breaks in the city to rest or the time to be used in visas. At least that was the estimate in 2021, the year in which the Opening of a new section Railway between Kunming (China) and Votián (Laos) allowed to add the kilometers enough for the line to end in Singapore. The change is so relevant that it allowed to reach 18,755 kilometers to which the total journey amounts to. At that time, Russia had not yet decided to invade Ukraine so the trip has been complicated since then. The idea is to enter Russia prior to Germany, Poland and Belarus so communication should be assured. Of course, we should not lose sight that whoever is determined to carry out this railway odyssey is entering a country at war. To have all the details by hand, in the SUBDDIT R/MAPPORN They have drawn The whole route exposed on a map of Europe and Asia. In it we see how the route begins as we said in Laos (Portugal) at the southern end of our continent. Next to the Algarve begins an adventure that can end in another paradisiac environment, the Best Singapore Beaches. Following the proposal of Reddit users forces to put Madrid aside and choose to cross all of Castilla y León. From there, one goes to the Basque Country and crosses France for Perpignan. Once in the Gallic country, European capitals will be linked: Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, Minsk and, already in Russia, Moscow. Once in Russia is the longest section of the trip within the same country. Overcome Moscow, it continues a little further north taking two of the most famous lines that make up the trip. First, much of the route of the Transiberiancrossing the entire Russian steppe but before reaching the end it is about deviating to Mongolia. Entering Mongolia in the north, now another famous train is taken, the Transongolianwhich serves as a railroad between Moscow and Beijing. Here, we cross the Chinese border that we will only leave behind when we travel south. It is time to return to Laos (this time phonetically), Thailand and Malaysia. Chinese influence is notable here, even after having overcome the borders of the country since if we are traveling through train, it is because China built the line that UNE Bangkok with Beijing. It is, in fact, Laos’s first railway line that does not end in the sea. Overcome the almost 19,000 kilometers of train is time to enjoy the destination. Relax and, why not, try to imitate Willy Fog. If Smith’s estimates do not fail, we have half the world to go and 59 days ahead to match the feat of the character of Julio Verne. Photo | Giulia de Santis and OpenrailwayMap In Xataka | Renfe has just published his first punctuality report. Result: the bird is not punctual

Spain goes with such delay in floating wind that its neighbors are being advanced: Morocco and Portugal

The industry begins to get impatient. It has been almost a year since it was approved Royal Decree 962/2024designed to give the exit gun to the marine wind in Spain. However, the ministerial order that must regulate the first auction has not yet seen the light, and there is also no official calendar with the next steps. In a sector that advances to the rhythm of the wind, the lack of movement begins to weigh. Short. The Wind Business Association (AEE) and the Marine Wind Forum have joined forces to launch a overwhelming message to the government: either, investments will end in other countries. In a joint statementthey have claimed the immediate publication of the bases of the auction and a schedule that gives medium and long term visibility. While Spain is still waiting, Portugal, France or Morocco advance with defined models and concrete projects. A more complex problem. According to AEElack of advances could cost Spain to create more than 7,500 jobs in coastal areas and stop contributing more than 2,000 million euros per year to GDP. In addition, the opportunity to lead a key technology such as floating wind –in which Spain has been a pioneer with world reference prototypes– It could evaporate if a minimum local market is not established. Spain has toilet industrial capabilities, appropriate port infrastructure, demonstrated technological experience – as the first floating prototype developer of the world – and Suitable areas identified in the planning plans of the maritime space (poem). But all that, without a local market that guarantees volume and continuity, is at risk. It has been stretching. In February of this year, the Minister for Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen, announced that the Government would launch the first marine wind auction in 2025 and that an order would be published with the bases, According to the newspaper five days. Also The goal was reaffirmed to reach the 3 GW capacity installed in 2030, as established by the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC). But, today, the order has not gone to public consultation. And that is the first stone to launch any auction. From the sector, they denounce that there are no objective reasons that justify the delay and fear that the promises of auctions “in 2025” become another lost year. A wind leak. The main stumbling block is the lack of firm signs and a detailed roadmap. This has caused various companies –As AEE has warned– They are starting to divert their investments to other countries that offer greater certainty and speed. On the other hand, in neighboring countries the situation is being very different. For example, Portugal is about to define Your auction model. France has awarded Already a great project in the Mediterranean and prepares five more parks in the Vizcaya Gulf. Morocco, meanwhile, has presented A 1,000 MW project on the Atlantic coast for 2029. Meanwhile, Spain is still not a single marine kilowatt in commercial operation. Of the 278 MW of floating wind installed worldwide, according to data from the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) June 2025, none is in Spain, although the country has been key in the construction of 100%exported components. In addition, the wind sector also claims that IDAE (Institute for Diversification and Saving Energy) be unlocked to modernize key infrastructure such as the ports of A Coruña, Castellón or Tarragona. Without those logistics nodes ready, the value chain weakens. The look in the Canary Islands. It has profiled as the ideal territory to launch this first pilot auction. The archipelago has a constant winda consolidated logistics chain, political and social consensus, and a high electricity generation cost that could be drastically reduced with marine wind. For AEECanary Islands is the “logical spearhead” to start the commercial development of this technology. Forecasts. The sector expects the Ministry to publish as soon as possible the public consultation for the Ministerial Order and define a clear calendar of upcoming auctions. Meanwhile, the global context does not expect. According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the offshore market grew by 10% in 2024, reaching 83.2 GW installed. Spain is still in time to occupy a prominent place in the European leadership of the floating marine wind. But the opportunity window narrows. The ads are not enough: concrete decisions, clear regulation and political will are needed. Otherwise, the country runs the risk of seeing how others assume that strategic role. And with this, lose not only investment and employment, but a key opportunity to reindustrialize the economy and advance the energy transition. Image | Unspash Xataka | In Peru, a company has had an idea to take wind energy directly to your home: turbines as a lay way

Spain and Portugal demand connection to a Europe that still isolates them

From the blackout of April 28 that affected the entire Iberian Peninsulatechnical and political meetings have occurred to analyze what happened and seek solutions. Until now, the facts are still not clarified and there is no firm commitment, but the latter seems to change. An Iberian call. Spain and Portugal have sent a petition to France to commit to concrete deadlines and binding actions to advance electrical interconnection corridors. In the letter signed by ministers Sara Aagesen and Maria Da Graça Carvalho, seeks to end a situation that qualify as a systemic vulnerability for European energy security, according to has had EuropePress access. A very concrete problem. Although progress has been made in renewable energies, the Iberian Peninsula remains An “Energy Island”with a level of interconnection of just 3%. The problem that has a Iberian Peninsula is the impossibility of sharing energy with Europe when it is left over or when it is missing. This weakens the resilience of the system, makes prices more expensive for reinforcement systems, and forces more polluting sources in moments of shortage. A political gap. While one day after the incident, France claimed to be “better protected than Spain” against generalized blackouts, evidenced the clear distance in terms of shared responsibility According to EFE. At this point a structural problem of the European Union was evidenced, that is, attempts are made to boost projects with European framework for joint network, but national decisions are allowed that slow down or block strategic projects. The clearest example is that France has excluded from its 2025-2035 Electrical Development Plan Two key projects For the Iberian Peninsula, the Aragon -Pyrineos Interconnections and Navarra – Los Landas, as both ministers and has collected Montelnews. It is deeper. Spain has shown that it can reach 100% renewable generation peaks. In some moments, supply exceeds domestic demand. But when he can’t export that surplus neither Storing it efficiently, becomes a problem. The most recent example: The negative prices of lightwhich reflect a saturated system that cannot take advantage of all the clean energy it produces. This phenomenon not only represents a market distortion, but also a wasted opportunity. If there were sufficient interconnections, Spain could become a European energy hub, exporting clean energy to countries more dependent on gas or coal. I could also boost your rEindustrialization, attracting electrointensive industries thanks to cheaper and sustainable electricity. But without a truly integrated European network, the peninsula is trapped in a paradox: it produces a lot of clean energy that cannot use well. The investigation is still ongoing. Not only in Spain and Portugal They are investigating the reasonsthe European Network of Electricity Transmission Systems Operators (ENTSO-E) continues to investigate the blackout. His experts are analyzing what failed in the cross -border coordination and why the defense mechanisms did not avoid the cascade of the system. The conclusions of this report will be key to understanding what happened and strengthening the pressure on France and the EU to accelerate the interconnections. Time is a valuable resource. Spain and Portugal not only demand energy justice, but European coherence. Interconnections cannot continue to be postponed promises. The blackout of April 28 was a warning, and the answer cannot be immobility. If the European Union wants a true union of energy, it must begin by ensuring that no Member State remains an energy island in 2025. Image | Pxhere Xataka | A month after the blackout in Spain, we continue to drag the same problem that led us to him: electric networks

After the blackout, false images of Spain and Portugal circulated from space. Now we have the real photos

55 million people ran out of electricity in Spain and Portugal on April 28, but Total darkness images They circulated the next day, like the one above, they were false. The Balearic Islands did not suffer the blackout, and a good part of the Peninsula already had light when the night fell. Now the European Space Agency has compiled the real images captured from space. The trigger for this collection work were, in fact, the false images. Alejandro Sánchez de Miguel, researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia linked to ESA light pollution projects, He saw the photos that were circulating And he decided that the real ones had to be published. Three NASA satellites equipped with Night observation technology (Suomi-NPP, NOAA-20 and NOAA-21) spent a couple of times on the peninsula that night. Their Six images They tell us a nuanced story, and very different from viral montages, how the Peninsula finished illuminating. The blackout at 03:12, 03:36, 04:30, 04:54 and 05:18 While areas like Madrid had regained light around 22:00 on the 28th, other regions, especially in the souththey followed in the dark until Well enter the morning On the 29th, the almost complete recovery, visible in the last passes of the satellites, arrived at 5:00. The night was clear in almost the entire territory. Dark spots in France or the Portuguese coast are not due to supply cuts, but that the satellite did not go through that concrete region in the waterfall. In green, the areas that still had no light. Blank, the ones In these contrasted images, areas without light can be visualized more easily in green, while areas with electricity supply appear blank. The provinces of Almería and Granada They were the ones that took the closest to illuminate. There are also green areas in Castilla-La Mancha and dispersed regions of Levante, the Sierra Morena and the Campo de Gibraltar. The blackout in Andalusia seen by NASA Earth Observatory While satellites help quickly evaluate the scope and progression of light cuts, the blackouts itself offer space agencies the possibility of Study light pollution and its impact on the observation of heaven or In circadian rhythms of people. In areas such as Almería, the light pollution It was reduced between 70 and 80% during the blackout of April 28. But the light was restored, the stars turned off again and Pilas radio He went back to the drawer. Images | NASA, that In Xataka | ESA has launched the world’s first satellite equipped with Band Radar P. The goal: see through forests

Portugal has wanted to shield energy from Spain: the light bill has been the first to pay the price

Spain and Portugal closed last year proclaiming themselves of the energy transition, since 82% of its electricity It came from clean sources. Within this energy harmony in which both countries were walking together, it seems that it has vanished after the blackout of April 28. Short. Still without An official explanation Clara of the causes of the mass blackout, both Spain and Portugal They have established a joint committee to investigate what happened. Meanwhile, Portugal has chosen to suspend electricity imports from Spain as a preventive measure, According to Financial Times. A fragmented energy island. The Iberian Peninsula is considered an “energy island” for its limited connections with Europe. For this reason, both countries have been forced to each other to balance their electrical systems. However, the blackout has evidenced the fragilities of this interdependence and has led Portugal to question the level of energy dependence it maintains with Spain. In Xataka If the question is "a country can hold only with renewable energy"the answer is here next: Portugal Immediate repercussions. Before the blackout, Portugal imported up to 35% of its electricity from Spain. This flow not only covered the Luso Energy Deficit, but also allowed the neighboring country to store the Spanish surplus in its hydroelectric plants, acting as water batteries, such as has detailed The Financial Times. However, the abrupt cut of that supply has left the country exposed to a much more expensive electric market. In data. According to OMIEwholesale electricity prices in Spain fell up to € 10.24/MWh, while in Portugal they shot € 47.92/MWh. This price difference has put in trouble to Portuguese companies and consumers, especially those without long -term contracts that protect them from sudden rise in rates. There is a shy openness. On Thursday after the blackout, imports began to reopen again, but limited capacity has maintained high prices in Portugal. According to the RENthe Portuguese electricity operator has indicated that the import capacity will be limited to 1,000 megawatts per day until May 12, a figure that represents less than a fifth of the usual import volume. {“Videid”: “X88TF3K”, “Autoplay”: False, “Title”: “Save on your light bill: the best options to know prices on your mobile”, “Tag”: “Webedia-prod”, “Duration”: “258”} Future implications. As He has collected The Financial Times, the Minister of Energy of Portugal, Maria Da Graça Carvalho, has pointed out a gradual restoration of imports from Spain. However, Armindo Monteiro, director of CIP, the main business group in Portugal, has warned that the country “does not live or should live in electrical isolation”, and has underlined the need to review the safety and dependence conditions in an uncertain energy context. Image | Pxhere Xataka | Spain has opted for the plot, but has left the network thrown: how micro -redes fit the energy puzzle (Function () {Window._js_modules = Window._js_modules || {}; var headelement = document.getelegsbytagname (‘head’) (0); if (_js_modules.instagram) {var instagramscript = Document.Createlement (‘script’); }}) (); – The news Portugal has wanted to shield energy from Spain: the light bill has been the first to pay the price It was originally posted in Xataka by Alba Otero .

If the question is “can a country sustain itself with renewable energy alone”, the answer is right here: Portugal

Two years ago, Portugal reached 75% renewable electricity thanks to the expansion of hydroelectric, wind and solar energy. However, this new year seems to be closer to that goal on an annual basis. In short. In a recent report from Ember, Portugal has achieved a milestone by becoming a pioneer in the global energy transition. Before closing this last year, because only 10% of its electricity consumption came from fossil fuels. This represents a record low, with electricity production from gas and other “dirty” sources falling to 5.1 TWh, the lowest figure since 1979. Additionally, locally generated renewables met 71% of the country’s energy needs, while an additional 20% came from mostly low-carbon imports from Spain. Reducing emissions. Spain’s neighbor has shown that it is possible to drastically reduce dependence on fossil fuels without compromising energy supply. This achievement has placed the Portuguese country as a pioneer, aligned with other leading countries like Denmark and Chileand projects a future where more than 90% of its energy will be renewable by 2030. In addition, the definitive closure of its last coal plant in 2021 underlines its commitment to this agenda. Regarding the consumption of gas to generate electricity, it has decreased by almost half from one year to the next, demonstrating the change in the Portuguese energy system. Ultimately, total gas consumption has fallen by 17%, marking its lowest level since 2003. In data. The International Energy Agency has shown that Portugal has achieved this boom in renewables, thanks to public policies, strategic investments and a focus on the development of clean infrastructure. In 2024, Portugal’s electricity mix was made up of 28% hydroelectric, closely followed by 27% wind energy, 10% solar, 6% biomass and 20% imports from Spain, which complement each other. . Imports from Spain. A part of the electricity consumption in Portugal comes from the Spanish electricity networks. This exchange has reinforced the collaboration between both countries in the Iberian Peninsula, where the energy of both nations totals 82% coming from clean sources. By sharing a well-interconnected electricity grid and prioritizing decarbonization, our neighboring country benefits from a mostly low-carbon import, which reinforces its commitment to a sustainable energy matrix. This cooperation model demonstrates how regional alliances can accelerate the energy transition and guarantee supply stability in a context of high renewable penetration. Image | Pexels Xataka | The overtake of renewables is a reality: solar and wind energy are elbowing their way into Europe

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