Report on Spain's nationwide blackout won't assign blame, antitrust chief says

Report on Spain's nationwide blackout will not assign blame, antitrust chief says

Overview of the Iberian Peninsula Blackout and Regulatory Response

Details of the Blackout Incident

MADRID, March 17 (Reuters) - The upcoming report by Spain's antitrust and energy watchdog CNMC on the massive blackout that hit the Iberian Peninsula last year will not assign blame for the outage, the watchdog's chief said on Tuesday.

Spain and Portugal's widespread blackout on April 28 left large swathes of the two countries in the dark for up to 10 hours and sparked multiple investigations, including from the government and from the grid operator.

CNMC's Report and Recommendations

CNMC head Cani Fernandez told senators at a hearing that her agency's report would include recommendations and conclusions, adding that the regulatory and technical mechanisms at the CNMC's disposal were sufficient to manage the system adequately.

Ongoing Investigations and Possible Sanctions

The watchdog has a separate, ongoing investigation into whether all players involved in the operation of the power system fulfilled their obligations before, during and after the blackout, she said, which could lead to sanctions.

Fernandez had previously said that in case of "very serious infractions", fines could reach up to 60 million euros ($69 million).

Defense of CNMC's Regulatory Actions

Timeliness of Regulatory Changes

Fernandez defended the institution she leads, denying that it was too slow in approving regulatory changes - including those updating the rules establishing power grid voltage control obligations for power plants to expand the role played by renewables plants.

Statement from Cani Fernandez

"We have not committed any omission," she said.

Additional Information

($1 = 0.8687 euros)

(Reporting by Pietro Lombardi; Writing by David Latona; Editing by Aislinn Laing and Louise Heavens)