Re: Causes of the Gran Apagón (Spain), 65 corrective actions

On 2025-07-09 22:57, Joe Gwinn wrote:

On Wed, 9 Jul 2025 22:10:21 +0200, "Carlos E.R."
<robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
 

On 2025-06-17 21:38, Carlos E.R. wrote:

<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/17/expert-report-rules-out-
cyber-attack-for-spain-and-portugal-april-blackout>
>
      *Spanish minister rules out cyber-attack as cause of April
blackout, after expert report*
>
      System failure caused by network’s inability to control grid
voltage said to be behind outage in Spain and Portugal
>

>
<https://elperiodicodelaenergia.com/el-gobierno-aprueba-la-instalacion-de-compensadores-sincronos-y-refuerza-la-interconexion-con-francia/>
>
Energy policy
>
*The Government approves the installation of synchronous compensators
and reinforces the interconnection with France*
>
The 65 actions are aimed at incorporating additional tools into the
networks to facilitate voltage control, stability in the event of
oscillations and, in general, to reinforce the electricity system
Redacción
>
Editorial staff
>
07/08/2025
>
The Council of Ministers, at the request of the Ministry for Ecological
Transition and the Demographic Challenge (Miteco), has approved a list
of specific actions to increase the resilience of the electricity grid,
which will be incorporated as a new Specific Modification to the
Development Plan for the Electricity Transmission Grid 2021-2026, the
second, after the one implemented in 2024. The list includes 65 actions
aimed at incorporating additional tools into the grids to facilitate
voltage control, stability in the event of fluctuations and, in general,
the reinforcement of the electricity system, both on the Spanish
mainland and in the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands.
>
The actions include the installation of synchronous compensators for the
first time on the mainland, as well as the incorporation of new units on
the islands. These devices provide dynamic voltage control and, given
their local nature, are distributed geographically to reinforce it in
the different areas, complementing the equipment and solutions that the
system already has for this function.
>
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
>
... You can read the rest on the link if desired.

 I did.  Thanks.
 What exactly do they mean by "Synchronous Compensators"?

I don't know, I'm not an electrical engineer. But one of the comments may explain a bit:
Frank
07/08/2025
Synchronous compensators are reverse generators acting as motors connected to the grid. What follows is simulations to determine where on the grid they are most effective, power and costs because like all motors they take active power from the grid which is priced on an hourly basis. And the last thing is who will pay for the voltage control service and how the installed equipment will be accounted for.
--
Cheers, Carlos.