saturated

Spain had a completely saturated electrical grid. And then data centers arrived to blow it up even more

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Imagine a highway on which not a single vehicle can fit anymore. But the problem is not that there is a lack of asphalt, but that the cars do not know how to drive efficiently and keep kilometer-long safety distances. The Spanish electrical grid was exactly that. It had been operating for years at the limit of its administrative capacity, and suddenly, a convoy of trucks of industrial tonnage and voracious appetite has arrived at the access ramp: data centers. These megainfrastructures, pillars of artificial intelligence and the cloud, promise to water the economy of millions, but their brutal need for supply threatened to burst the seams of an already saturated electrical system. To avoid collapse and not let the reindustrialization train escape, the Government has had to react and radically change the technical rules of the game. Cascading capacity collapse. To understand the collapse we have to look at how our way of consuming energy has changed. The energy transition is profoundly reconfiguring the model throughout the national territory. Requests to connect to transportation and distribution networks have skyrocketed. In addition to the electrification of industry and renewable hydrogen, there is now massive consumption associated with data centers for artificial intelligence. The problem broke out when the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) established a “dynamic criterion” to calculate how much access capacity was available in the areas shared by several network nodes. As detailed by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO) in his press releaseapplying this criterion means that a single access requested at a node can cause a “cascading effect that drains capacity in the rest of the nodes that share the area”, blocking requests from dozens of kilometers away. Basically, a large data center asks for passage and, automatically, the system administratively blocks neighboring nodes as a precaution, even if physically the cables have plenty of space. Investments in the air and the ghost of the blackout. The consequences of this traffic jam directly affect the real economy and national security. Real estate and industrial paralysis. The situation is so critical that, as we already mentioned in our previous coverage citing the Asprima employers’ associationlast year only 12% of connection requests for new urban developments were granted. There are 350,000 homes at risk simply due to lack of electrical power. The risk of an electrical “zero”. The Official State Gazette warns that the increase in installations that are not able to withstand “tension gaps” poses a very high risk. If there is a disturbance and these generators are massively disconnected, exchange flows are produced that are incompatible with Spain’s limited interconnections with Europe. As the diary recalls The Countrythe objective is to avoid at all costs a repeat of massive blackouts like the one suffered by the Iberian Peninsula on April 28, 2025. It is not enough to put more cables. In areas limited by this dynamic criterion, it is no longer possible to enable new capacity simply by investing money in reinforcing the network with “more copper.” The expert in the sector Joaquín Coronado sums it up perfectly: the demand must be 100% active; It must provide flexibility and commit to the stability of the system. The Government’s emergency surgery. To unclog this Gordian knot, the Government and regulators have launched a three-way shock plan: The new Royal Decree of MITECO. The Ministry has been brought to public hearing (until March 16) a standard that updates the technical requirements to connect to the network. The master key is that now it is required that the demands “withstand voltage gaps”, do not introduce adverse oscillations and maintain the quality of the wave. By forcing installations not to disconnect in the event of small disturbances, the number of nodes affected in shared areas is reduced. This simple technical measure could bring out 50% more capacity in about 900 knots of connection to the high-voltage network. The “flexible permits” of the CNMC. To put an end to the binary model (either I give you all the capacity or I deny it), the CNMC has proposed four new types of permits, as we already broke down in Xataka. These range from allowing consumption only in certain time slots, to “dynamic” permissions where the operator can remotely disconnect a data center if there is an emergency on the network. The “technical amnesty” for data giants. In parallel, the Ministry of Industry has been urgently removed the “off-peak” requirement. Previously, to receive aid, you had to consume at night, an absurdity for a data center (which operates 24/7) and for today’s Spain, where solar energy has brought down prices at midday. The citizen cost and the fine print. The Government’s maneuver not only responds to a national emergency, but also places Spain as a pioneer on the continent. The country is anticipating the update of the European network codes, deploying a battery of technical specifications simultaneously that is already considered a milestone worldwide, as detailed The Country. In this deployment, the new regulations also settle a historical debt with energy storage: batteries will finally have their own specific regulatory framework, no longer being administratively treated as simple “generation by analogy” facilities. However, this deep digitalization so that the network supports such a complex mode of operation will not come for free, and the bill for modernization will end up looming in the consumer’s pocket. Forecasts for 2026 They already estimate direct increases in citizen receipts, with a 4% increase in tolls and a not inconsiderable 10.5% in electricity system charges. And while citizens assume the technical cost, the data giants – recipients of this regulatory red carpet – prefer to remain cautious in the face of the eternal Spanish bureaucratic obstacle. The technology sector warns that a key piece of the puzzle is missing: If the Government does not expressly include the National Code of Economic Activity (CNAE) corresponding to “Data Processing” in the official list of sectors entitled to receive the million-dollar electro-intensive aid, all … Read more

The Prado has become a saturated tourist attraction. So you have made a decision: no more blockbusters

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The Prado Museum has decided to stop. After reaching its third consecutive visitor record in 2025 with 3.5 million people (a figure that many institutions would celebrate with champagne), its director Miguel Falomir has broken decades of obsession with numbers: “The museum does not need a single more visitor.” The Madrid art gallery announces a radical change for 2026: it eliminates the blockbuster exhibitions. What are blockbuster exhibitions? The large monographic exhibitions designed to attract masses, especially tourists, which now disappear from the Prado’s priorities. In their place, more specialized thematic proposals. The objective is no longer to grow, but to ensure that Going to the museum “isn’t like taking the subway during rush hour”in the words of Falomir during the presentation of the annual program. The measure makes the Prado a pioneer of a debate on cultural sustainability that has swept through Europe since the pandemic, when institutions like the Louvre had to impose capacity limits to prevent artistic contemplation from becoming survival from the tidal waves of tourists. The case of the Louvre. The French museum model leads the way in what not to do: with its nine million annual visitors it has become the best example of how success devours the cultural experience. The Prado’s 3.5 million seem modest in comparison, but Falomir remembers one detail: the Madrid museum is between eight and nine times smaller. That is, more visitor density per square meter. Since the pandemic. These changes have been brewing since 2022, when the museums reopened and were able to put into practice the capacity limits that they had been considering for years. Since then, the Louvre has maintained a limit of 30,000 daily visitors and a time slot system with mandatory advance reservation for certain rooms. But it is not the only one: the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence have adopted similar strategies. The Host Plan. The response of the Madrid museum It’s called Host Plana project that addresses the quality of the visit from several fronts. They will begin by optimizing the current more than 70,000 square meters, which in 2028 will grow with the Salón de Reinos: an additional 2,500 square meters. Among the concrete measures is the prohibition of photographs in the rooms, which has already been proven effective in improving flow. Added to this are adjustments in access management and limits on group size. But Falomir insists: “We have to think about what to do so that the public is not only interested in iconic works.” The director recognizes that the concentration on star pieces creates bottlenecks while other rooms remain empty. The visitor profile is revealing: 75.85% are foreigners. Falomir insists that “we are the museum that most nationals visit,” but they want more Spaniards. Other museums, such as the Louvre, have opted for more aggressive policies: raising the price of tickets for visitors from outside the EU. The programming strategy. Faced with a 2025 full of large monographic exhibitions (Veronese, Anton Raphael Mengs, Juan Muñoz) designed to attract masses, 2026 is committed to the complex and specialized. Proposals such as “In the manner of Italy. Spain and the Mediterranean Gothic (1320-1420)”, which Falomir readily acknowledges will not have the commercial appeal of its predecessors. It’s not a new idea. The New York Metropolitan has been alternating for years big names with risky academic exhibitions. The Tate Modern does the same. But the Prado goes one step further, and recognizes that this strategy responds to a goal of decongestion, not just curatorial criteria. The 2026 program includes “El Prado in feminine”, with three collector queens: Isabel de Farnese, Cristina of Sweden (400th anniversary) and, above all, Mariana of Austria, whose December exhibition will reconstruct the evolution of her image and power. Also arriving are “Rilke and Spanish art”, “Hans Baldung Grien” and “Prado. Siglo XXI”, an exhibition that looks at the museum itself and its transformation in this century. Everything fits with the emerging trend of the “slow museum”, a movement that proposes recovering slow contemplation in the face of accelerated consumption of art as if it were a tourist attraction. The programming strategy. Faced with a 2025 full of large monographic exhibitions dedicated to Veronese, Anton Raphael Mengs or Juan Muñoz, designed to attract large audiences, 2026 is committed to more complex and specialized thematic proposals. They are proposals such as “In the manner of Italy. Spain and the Mediterranean Gothic (1320-1420)”, which Falomir recognizes will not have the commercial appeal of its predecessors. There are models in this policy, such as the Metropolitan Museum in New York, which has practiced for years a mixed model that balances big names with riskier academic exhibitions. The Tate Modern in London operates in a similar way. Museum exhaustion. In recent years a term has emerged: “museum fatigue“Visiting a museum has become an obstacle course where contemplating Las Meninas or La Gioconda means making your way through a forest of arms with mobile phones. Falomir sums it up like this: “The big problem with large museums is that the visitor is sovereign.” No one controls whether someone will stay eight hours or five minutes, or which rooms they will visit. The result: impossible concentrations in certain areas while others remain empty. In Xataka | This museum has a guide who makes fun of visitors. The result: sold out tickets

Asturias has the electrical network so saturated that a simple failure would be enough to put the supply in check this summer

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A year ago everything indicated that Asturias was going to become the new Spanish energy storage hub. But these plans, which were going to help integrate renewables, alleviate the grid and attract industry, collided with reality. Today, the panorama is very different. Not only has the region paralyzed new storage facilities, but an official report has just confirmed a more worrying diagnosis: Asturias is saturated with energy, but does not know where to put it. In short, the central area’s electrical grid is at its limit. The CNMC uncovers the problem. The trigger It is an apparently technical conflict between EDP (Hidrocantábrico Distribución) and Red Eléctrica de España for access to the Carrió substation. As local media have reportedthe distributor requested to replace two transformers to increase its capacity from 513 MW to 665 MW, but REE rejected it, arguing that the network could not supply so much simultaneous demand. This rejection took the case to the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC), which issued a resolution with a forceful message: the transport network in the central zone is saturated, it cannot grant new permits, there is “relevant overcapacity” and there is a “risk to the security of supply in the event of a simple failure, in the summer season.” Furthermore, the commission itself recognizes that the case dates back to 2007, when the separation between distribution and transportation occurred and assets were transferred to REE without documenting the guaranteed access capacities. As the official report explains, for years REE and EDP operated “as always”, but with opposite interpretations about how much capacity was really assured for the Asturian network. What does it mean to be saturated? Although it may seem like a technical concept, the CNMC has detailed in its report a more precise image of what is happening. To begin with, saturation means that the network cannot grant even one more access. The regulator detects a “total saturation of capacity, without the possibility of granting new access or connection permissions.” This means that no new industries, no renewable parks and no storage projects can connect: the grid is literally full. Added to this blockage is another underlying problem. The central Asturias network does not meet the minimum legal criterion known as N-1, which requires guaranteeing supply even if a key component fails. However, the CNMC itself confirms that this requirement is not met: If a transformer or main line falls, there is no alternative path capable of absorbing the energy, making any incident a potential risk. The situation is even more delicate according to the data. The regulator’s report indicates that two large electro-intensive consumers already absorb 686 MW, to which we must add the 200 MW that EDP needs to feed the distribution network. In total, more than 800 MW connected. The problem is that the safe capacity in summer – when the lines perform worse due to high temperatures – is 754 MW. In other words: there is more connected power than the network can safely support. And the room for maneuver is practically non-existent. According to the CNMC, if Cardoso’s 400/220 kV transformer failed, the entire area would be supplied only by a 220 kV line that does not support current consumption in summer. In practical terms, this means that any simple failure could trigger a real supply problem in the middle of the summer season. The point is that there is energy, but it cannot be moved. The paradox is evident: Asturias wants more renewables, it wants batteries, it wants to electrify its industry and it wants to attract new strategic projects. But all this growth requires a robust electrical grid with margin. And right now, that margin does not exist. Carrió’s transformers could handle more power, yes, but that is unimportant if the lines that connect them are already at their limit. Even the future conversion to gas of the Aboño thermal power plant —designated by the Principality as future relief— does not solve the current problem, because the bottleneck is in transportation, not in generation. How did we get here? In addition to the historical conflict between REE and EDP, a chain of factors have aggravated the situation. One of the most decisive is the increase in power assigned to some large industrial consumers. In 2022, Red Eléctrica granted an electro-intensive customer an increase of 132 MW, reaching 450 MW of power between Carrió and Tabiella. The regulator clarifies that this decision did not violate the regulations, but it does highlight the lack of coordination with EDP, which was not informed and saw how the capacity margin of the area was exhausted practically at once. Added to this problem is another longer-term problem. As El Comercio remembersthe necessary reinforcements for the central network have been planned for more than 20 years, but were never executed. The result is that Asturias faces industrial electrification and the growth expected for the coming years with a network that has not been updated at the pace of demand. The evolution of the local generation. The situation is complicated as cogeneration, a key technology for producing electricity and heat near industrial centers, has collapsed. According to figures published by El ComercioAsturias has lost 82% of cogeneration production in six years. This implies less energy generated at source and, therefore, more need to bring electricity from outside through a network that is already saturated. The economic and environmental impact is also notable: 60 million euros less industrial turnover and 230,000 additional tons of CO₂. And now what? The Asturian Government insists that the problem will be resolved with the 400 kV central ringa gigantic infrastructure included in the energy planning for 2030. This ring will double the electric transportation capacity in the metropolitan area and will allow it to absorb the planned industrial growth. For its part, Red Eléctrica you already have authorization for the new Cardoso substation, key to that ring, with an investment of 26.5 million euros. However, the CNMC warns that the problem is … Read more

It is the symptom of a saturated sector

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You are waiting for an important order and you have verified that it was in delivery, but hours pass and no one calls. You go to see the tracking of the package once again and you find the dreaded “package not delivered due to absentee recipient” even though you have not left home nor have you received any calls. What is happening? A common problem. It has happened to all of us at some point and it is very annoying. Not delivering a package on time is understandable to a certain extent, but lying and saying you weren’t home really turns us on. Just do a search on social networks like reddit either x to find users very angry about this situation. Consumer organizations have also detected it: “It is a problem that worries us. It is quite common for them to not deliver a package and say that you have not picked up the phone or have not opened the door for them,” Manuel Vivas, OCU press officer, tells us. In the last two months they have received 14 complaints about this issue and Correos Express is the company that users most often mention in their complaints, but it is not the only one. A search on their website returns similar results in the case of Mail, SEUR, M.R.W., GLS and many more. Online commerce. It is the main cause of the increase in package deliveries. There was a boom during the pandemic, but since then the numbers have not stopped growing. According to CNMC dataIn the first quarter of the year alone, the online commerce business has grown by 18.2% compared to the previous year, exceeding a turnover of 25.7 billion euros and more than 474 million transactions. Packages. Many of these purchases translate into home deliveries that have caused the volume of parcel shipments to reach record figures. According to the CNMC Annual Report of the Postal Sector 2024in 2024, 1,216.6 million packages were sent, most of them less than 2kg. Almost half of the packages managed by large online platforms were delivered within 24 hours. According to the DBK observatory reportthe billing of the courier and parcel sector grew by 5% in 2024, exceeding 10,000 million in revenue. The delivery men. The growth of the sector has caused a boom in delivery job offers. However, conditions are not always good. According to the ETT Synergiethe average salary of a delivery driver ranges between 1,200 and 1,750 euros gross per month. This is if they have a contract and work for a large company, many other delivery drivers They are forced to become autonomous and use your own vehicle. In April of this year, El Confidencial published a report where several delivery people claimed to charge between 0.75 and 1.50 euros per package delivered. Other delivery drivers denounce endless days and more than 100 daily deliveries to get a decent salary. There is a lot of pressure to deliver the maximum number of packages per day and there are penalties if they fail. The trap. In a report from El Faro De Vigo Several delivery drivers talk about the “trap” of saying that you were absent. Many times delivery drivers resort to marking an incident to save travel, especially those who receive commission per delivery. “If you have an urgent delivery, but due to the area you are in, you can take away several deliveriesyou put “incidence”, for example, and deliver it later,” confesses a delivery man. Courier companies that receive a complaint about this issue have an easy time knowing whether or not the delivery person passed through the area, since the apps they use have a geolocator. The penalties for mismanagement of a delivery can be up to 40 euros, which for many of these delivery drivers means losing half or more of what they earn in a day. Claim. If we are marked as absent, in most cases we have to go to the branch of the delivery company to pick up the package. It is possible to claim the costs involved in going to the warehouse where the package was left, especially if we live far away and do not have a vehicle. The OCU receives many of these complaints. “We collect the complaint and transfer it to the company, we do mediation work (…) The client has the right to complain, but for most people it is not worth claiming the 10 euros for the taxi because it involves more effort than going to pick up the package,” Manuel Vivas tells us. In addition, it must be taken into account that many times the person making the delivery simply acts as an intermediary. According to Manuel, “The customer does not have a contractual relationship with the delivery company (…) the claim must be addressed to the company where the purchase was made.” That is, if we have made the purchase on Amazon, even if it was Seur who made the “non-delivery”, we must complain to Amazon. Image | Kampus Production on Pexels In Xataka | In China they believe they have solved the saturation of delivery people: robots traveling by subway to deliver packages

Oppo rearma in Europe based on AI, quality and durability to try to conquer a saturated market

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In recent years, Oppo has gone through a Restructuring stage in its global strategy. While in 2022 and 2023 the company had to leave several European markets due to different Legal disputes with Nokialittle by little he is returning with a renewed strategy to consolidate your presence in a market that over the years is increasingly competitive. Currently Oppo is the Fifth brand that sells more devices in China And, together with OnePlus, it is part of the conglomerate BBK Electronicsthat also controls brands as live and realme. Its expansion in Europe Not only does it seek to recover the land lost so farbut also position yourself solidly in the competitive segment of the mid -range with devices as interesting as the new OPPO RENE13 SERIES. As is We already did in 2023we have had the opportunity to spend a few minutes with Billy Zhang, vice president of OPPPO and currently responsible for the brand outside China in addition to Neil Monger, director of OPPO product marketing for Europe, to understand how the company’s strategy is evolving and what role the new Oppo renov13 play throughout this process. OPPO’s strategy to continue growing in Europe Regarding what are Oppo’s intentions in our territory, Billy Zhang explained that the brand No specific market share objectives are set or income in Europe. “Our approach is to understand the market well and offer high quality products and services. The results will be a consequence of how good we can meet demand,” he said. The Oppo Reno13 is the great bet of the mid -range brand Currently, Oppo has made its presence in Europe one of the most important in the sector and is that, as in China, it is also the Fifth brand that sells more devices in the European market. During 2024 He managed to register a Growth of 13% and reach a total of 4.1 million devices soldso its dimensions are increasingly important within our territory. One of the keys to its strategy is being the investment in retail. The company has announced an investment of 500% in the coming years to strengthen its presence both in its own e-commerce and in marketplaces and Amazon seeking not only to improve distribution, but also to offer a more accessible purchase experience and close to the European consumer while reinforcing its presence in the largest possible number of means. “Our approach is to understand the market well and offer high quality products and services. The results will be a consequence of how good we can meet demand.” In addition, something that caught our attention is that Zhang said that “a product always has to meet the user’s needs as he expects”, but “he cannot sacrifice the profit margin just to enter a price war.” At this point, Oppo clearly seeks unmark the strategy of other Chinese brands They seek to offer as much as possible. Of phones folding to artificial intelligence, what has changed in OPPO? The smartphones market changes rapidly, there is no doubt about that. In 2022, Zhang said that “perhaps in five years we are very important in the global folding phone market. Maybe number one.” However, the panorama has changed since, although Oppo continues to bet on folding With models such as OPPO FIND N3now the artificial intelligence It is the central axis of its strategy because the market claims. According to Neil Monger, The AI ​​is among the three functions most demanded by userstogether with the camera and design, so they have had to adapt their strategy towards that direction. Monger says that his approach is to “optimize and make accessible the functions of the AI ​​that already exist to offer a durable and quality experience” and, obviously, that has made its Partnership With Google it is essential today. Oppo’s AI has become one of its basic pillars In addition, I also wanted to ask about the possible additional cost when using the service that could come in the future, and the answer was very clear: Oppo does not plan to monetize the functions of AI on its devicesalthough it does not rule out exploring business models around them. “As technology progresses, costs will be reduced and we will find the best time to evaluate new options.” According to Neil Mongger, the AI ​​is among the three functions most demanded by users, together with the camera and design Does this mean that the company will set aside other projects to give AI ABSOLUTE? It is evident that no. Folding models are still very present within the company’s catalog and even mid -range devices are also being very reinforced to get a greater presence in the market, so everything seems to be much more focused on meet your customers than anything else. What a difference from the reinde13 from the rest of the devices from their competition During this interview there was something that surprised me a lot and that, among the aspects most valued by European consumers when buying a phone, we met the Durability of devices. Oppo has responded to this demand improving the materials and the construction of the reindeer13, again, with the clear intention of listening to what your community and the market in general. The brand claims to have introduced “Aerospace grade aluminum frames, increasing flexion resistance by 20% and water resistance by 36%”, so that on that side it seems that we can be calm. In fact, During the presentation itself We were able to verify that the reinde13 equip specific camera modes for use equipment under waterso they have really taken it seriously. Another key point is software support. While marks like Google, Samsung and even honor They already offer up to seven years of updates in their high ranges, Oppo has extended its five -year support in the Reno13ensuring that devices will keep at least 80% of their original performance capacity during that period. The doubt that assaults us now both in Oppo and in many other brands is whether … Read more

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