Sanchez points to the responsibilities of private companies and promises changes: « This can never happen again » | Spain

In his Third appearance in 24 hoursthis time with questions, Pedro Sánchez clearly pointed out on Tuesday to the « responsibility of private operators » for the largest blackout in the history of Spain. He did not provide names, because they are still investigating it, but the chief of the Executive thus gave the first step of a formidable legal and economic battle that will make its way in the coming months To see who is the last responsible for the blackout and who compensates for the millions of citizens and companies affected. But in addition, and although they still still have clear details of the causes, Sánchez wanted to give a coup of political authority and assured that « there will be changes » in the system, although he still does not know which ones, because « this cannot happen again. » The president does not want to rule out the cyber attack hypothesis, although Red Electric 60% of electric power production in Spain fellbut everything indicates that much is no longer working on it. Therefore, Sánchez has talked openly and several times about the « responsibilities of private operators », although he added the preventive coletilla of « if any. »

Although he has not expressly criticized anyone, it seems obvious to the government with Red Eléctrica, the public company led by Beatriz Corredor, former socialist minister, for the delay in offering clear explanations. Sánchez even dropped at the end of his appearance a reproach to this company, which he visited twice on Monday, the last almost early in the morning, commenting on the journalists that he learned that they ruled out the cyber attack by the public appearance of Red Eléctrica, that is that they did not warn him before that conclusion they had reached. At all times the president has made it clear that the government wants to have its own version of the facts, beyond what Red Electrica says, and that is why an internal investigation commission will be formed, directed by the third vice president, Sara Aegesen, and the European Commission will also be asked to do an independent investigation. They are two more elements that show a clear distrust of the Moncloa towards Red Electrica, which continues without having a conclusive explanation of what happened 24 hours later. « The Government of Spain will reach the bottom of this matter. The measures will be taken so that it does not happen again. We are going to demand all the relevant responsibilities to private operators. What happened yesterday can never happen again. Citizens have questions, and we are the first interested in answering them. We are going to make changes, but we have to know what has happened so that they are as effective as possible, » he insisted.

In what also had a lot of Sánchez in the appearance was to deactivate the attempt of the PP and other conservative sectors for blaming renewable energies, which live their moment of greatest historical success, covering several days in recent weeks even 100% of the country’s consumption, something unpublished. Sanchez argues that nothing indicates that this is the explanation of what has happened, much less that the nuclear is the solution. Other European countries governed by the right are recovering nuclear, but Sánchez and Aagesen insist that it is the opposite, they are demonstrating precisely that they are not profitable and do not even solve a crisis like this Monday.

« There was no problem of excess renewables, » said the president, responding in some way to Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who criticized the government for what he sees as an “ideological management« Of the energy system. » There was no lack of coverage either. The demand was 25,180 megawatts, relatively low, quite normal throughout the previous days. The availability was wide. Those who link this incident to the lack of nuclear lie or demonstrate their ignorance. The recovery has been done with interconnections with France and Morocco, with combined gas cycles and with hydroelectric plants. Nuclear centrals, far from being a solution, have been a problem because they were extinguished and it has been necessary to send energy to maintain them. There was a nuclear generation running just before the fall of the system and was disconnected as the others, it was no more resilient. For several days, 5 of the 7 nuclear reactors are stopped by the decision of the operating companies, who claim that they are not competitive in prices with the renewables of those days, ”says the leader of the PSOE.

The idea of ​​cyber attack loses strength, but Sanchez has not wanted to rule it out at all because it could not be detected by electricity, but it is in another part of a very complex system with many private companies at stake. « We have asked the INCIBE (the Cybersecurity Institute) a diagnosis. I do not doubt anything. We are going to make sure of any eventuality. I hope it is not so. I hope they are other hypotheses. There is a contribution of the electricity network, but we have to know what has happened in the generating companies, there may be other causes, » he said, although several times of the appearance he has insisted that there is no element to aim for a cyber attack, contrary to what was thought of the first moment.

The doubt continues, the government is not certain, but, still, Sanchez defends that the system is one of the best in the world and adds that citizens behaved in an exemplary way. For now today the system, already recovered at 99%will operate with a safe formula, and if everything goes well tomorrow will enter the usual. But now the government puts all the mechanisms in motion, with legal changes included, so that something like that, that Sánchez himself and especially Beatriz Corredor said that he could not happen, did not happen again.