Red Electric blames the power stations for the April blackout: "If the generators had acted according to their commitments, the blackout wouldn't have happened."

 The blackout that left much of the peninsula without electricity supply on28April continues to generate controversy. The Electrical Network, the system operator, has attacked power plants harshly and has ensured that it was they and not the operator themselves who failed at the critical moment.

Accordingto the version provided by Concha Sánchez, Director General of Electrical Network Operation, the electrical collapse would have been avoided if the generating plants had fulfilled their role in dynamic voltage control, since some installations coupled to the system did not respect this essential technical condition at that time.

"If the power stations had acted in accordance with their commitments, the blackout would not have taken place," Sanchez said, stressing that the facilities were programmed, but their technical response was not as expected. He explained that the situation became more serious because some even generated reactive energy, causing the system to be further destabilized.

The controversy arose after the Government published its report, which also referred to the deficiencies of the power stations , but revealed the responsibility of the operator. The document states that Red Eléctrica had scheduled the lowest annual generation for that day. Moreover, on the eve of the event, 27 April, it had not replaced a power station that was not in a position to use it.

From Redeia, Red Eléctrica's main team, its president, Beatriz Corredor, was even sharper:  "If they had ensured that all the rules for voltage control were met, the blackout would not have occurred."

In this regard, Roberto García, CEO of Redeia,has made it clear that "REE does not have to take on any compensation. We have complied with all the regulations in force".

The main debate now is responsibility, because what happened on 28 April shows not only punctual errors of execution, but a deeper problem in coordination between the operators of the electrical system. The blackout, in addition to immediate consequences, has revealed that a model, although technically sophisticated, is not without risk if the parts do not work with millimeter precision.