Portugal remains without importing electricity from Spain, leading to significant costs. The forecast, as indicated by a source from REN to Notícias ao Minuto, is that imports will resume this Wednesday. However, this blockage has already incurred a cost of 14 million euros for Portugal.
Calculations by the Expresso reveal that if this restriction were to last a month and the price differential between the two countries remained at the current level, the penalty for a household with a monthly consumption of 200 kWh would amount to around six euros (plus VAT), compared to the cost of a similar consumption in Spain.
Nonetheless, the newspaper notes that wholesale prices are just one part of the electricity bill and do not always directly reflect on household expenses.
Still, customers with tariffs indexed to the Iberian market may see these days of imbalance affecting their bills, preventing them from benefiting from prices that would result from a normal import context.
Notícias ao Minuto has already requested an update from REN on this topic and is awaiting a response. Attempts are also being made to contact the Energy Services Regulatory Authority (ERSE) to understand any developments regarding this issue and its potential impact on the electricity bills paid by the Portuguese.
A widespread electricity supply cut affected Portugal and Spain last Monday for about 10 to 11 hours, with no explanation yet provided by the authorities.
Closed airports, transportation and traffic congestion in major cities, and fuel shortages were some of the consequences of the blackout.
Since then, Portugal suspended the importation of electricity from Spain, a situation that continues to persist. According to a source from REN, the “resumption of imports is scheduled for May 7,” as reported by Notícias ao Minuto.
The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity announced last week the formation of a committee to investigate the “exceptional and severe” blackout in the Iberian Peninsula.
The organization stated that it will “investigate the root causes, conduct a comprehensive analysis, and issue recommendations in a final report.”
