On the morning of Monday 28 April, nothing was out of the ordinary in peninsular Spain’s electricity system. Demand was at normal levels for the time of year, and was being easily met by the total generation capacity available.
The day before, the Spanish National Grid Network (REE, Red Eléctrica Española, commercially known as Redeia) had held its usual daily auction to determine which facilities would supply energy over the course of the following day. REE manages electricity distribution in Spain, and though formally a private company it is controlled by the Spanish State, which owns 20% of its capital. Its website states that:
“We are responsible for ensuring that electricity is always available wherever you need it and for making it sustainable by promoting renewable energies. For all these reasons, Red Eléctrica is the backbone of the electricity system in Spain and the cornerstone of the ecological transition process that the country is undergoing.”.
