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A major voltage spike that caused a widespread electrical failure across Spanish territory and Portuguese regions has been identified as the "most serious" electrical incident in European nations during the last 20 years, and represents a unprecedented situation of its category, according to a newly released investigation.

Damian Cortinas of the organization of electrical system controllers announced that this notable event marked the first known electrical disruption to be specifically initiated by overvoltage, which happens when excessive power voltage gathers within a grid.

"This is uncharted waters," the official stated, explaining that the group's purpose was "not to apportion blame to any entity" regarding the underlying cause.

The April's outage caused significant interruption for nearly a day when it cast various regions into darkness, disrupting network services and suspending travel networks.

Widespread Impact

The blackout influenced extensive regions of Spain and Portugal, and briefly affected southwestern France.

The study, issued on Friday, centered on the status of the electrical networks on the date of the blackout and the chain of events preceding it.

Infrastructure Malfunctions

A series of "progressive voltage surges" - characterized as an rise in the power system voltage above the established norm - was determined to be the primary cause behind the outage, the report determined.

Voltage surge can be triggered by spikes in networks due to surplus generation or lightning strikes, or when safety systems are insufficient.

According to the study, automated protection systems were triggered but were unable to stop the power system from shutting down.

Multiple Inquiries

The investigation succeeds various distinct examinations and analyses by the Madrid authorities, as well as power and grid companies. The national energy watchdog and government officials are also performing independent inquiries.

The national authorities believes that the organization's findings corroborates its previous conclusions.

Sara Aagesen for energy transition declared that it was "entirely consistent" with the findings of an investigation it ordered which concluded in summer that both the national grid provider and independent power providers were at fault.

Diverging Accounts

Both the primary grid operator and the private firms have asserted that they were not responsible. The controlling entity has attributed the outage on specific traditional generation stations' shortcoming to help preserve proper electrical levels.

National energy companies claimed it was caused by poor planning from system controllers.

Analysis Obstacles

The study also noted that some important data was missing and that "gathering thorough, reliable details proved very challenging for this examination".

A definitive analysis, to be issued in the first quarter of next year, will examine the root causes of the voltage surge and the measures employed to control voltage in the network.

Governmental Debate

The failure triggered a extensive controversy that extended into the political arena about the nation's electrical approach.

The political rivals proposed that an growing dependence on sustainable power, promoted by the current administration of the national leader, could have been a significant component in generating the blackout and the nation's reducing availability of nuclear energy meant a dependable back-up was inaccessible.

The government completely dismissed these hypotheses and the recent study was cautious to stay impartial when it concerned the reasons of April's unprecedented blackout.

Direct Consequences

The loss of power forced Madrid Open Tennis organizers to stop a match partially completed the contest.

Spain's nuclear power plants automatically stopped when the outage struck, and the Spanish oil company announced it suspended activities at its fuel processing plants.

Public Disruption

Buildings were cast into blackout, while mobile phones and road signals ceased functioning. Lines extended along urban intersections and card payments malfunctioned, compelling people to line up for money and cram on to public transportation as different mobility options were non-functional.

First responders were dispatched to 286 buildings to rescue people confined in vertical transport in the central territory and healthcare centers initiated contingency procedures, suspending routine procedures.