Spain’s Blackout and the Miracle of the Modern Power Grid

Shift Key with Robinson Meyer · May 7, 2025 · 1h 8m

Last week, more than 50 million people across mainland Spain and Portugal suffered a blackout that lasted more than 10 hours and shuttered stores, halted trains, and dealt more than $1 billion in economic damage. At least eight deaths have been attributed to the power outage.

Almost immediately, some commentators blamed the blackout on the large share of renewables on the Iberian peninsula’s power grid. Are they right? How does the number of big, heavy, spinning objects on the grid affect grid operators’ ability to keep the lights on?

On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Jesse and Rob dive…