The Spanish National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC) announced changes approved on June 12 regarding the regulatory framework for voltage control obligations in the electrical network. This decision precedes the release of official findings concerning the causes of the power outage in the Iberian Peninsula on April 28.
The findings attribute the blackout to a voltage overload that the Spanish electrical system failed to manage due to planning errors by Red Eléctrica, the Spanish grid operator, and non-compliance by conventional energy producers who were supposed to manage the voltage.
Currently, both synchronous (thermal and hydro) and asynchronous (solar or wind) production are obligated to control voltage—since 2000 and 2014, respectively. With the revised regulatory framework, the operator will treat all production technologies similarly and equitably.
This “homogeneous treatment” involves similar incentives for all production technologies when required to activate units to control voltage.
The CNMC stated that all units must provide a basic service but can now participate in voltage control planning under guidelines set by the system operator.
The technical standards revision approved on June 12 aims to modernize and provide a remuneration framework for the voltage control service of the Spanish electrical network, according to the Spanish competition authority.
With this change, Spanish authorities seek to introduce dynamism to the voltage control service and encourage the development of more capabilities across all technologies.
The approved revision stems from an initial proposal by the Spanish electrical system operator in June 2021. In 2022 and 2023, “demonstration projects” confirmed the ability of renewables to provide dynamic voltage control services with high economic efficiency.
The Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF) welcomed the CNMC’s approval of these changes, emphasizing that renewables have long had the technical capacity to contribute to voltage control but were previously restricted by regulatory frameworks.
According to UNEF, the involvement of renewables in voltage control will also help manage associated costs, which have increased tenfold in Spain in recent years.
The association highlighted that voltage control has a strong geographical component and noted that photovoltaics is “particularly well-suited” to contribute to this service.
