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A substantial voltage spike that resulted in a widespread blackout across Spain and Portuguese regions has been classified as the "most serious" power disruption in European nations during the last 20 years, and represents a pioneering situation of its category, according to a newly released study.

Damian Cortinas of the organization of electricity grid operators announced that this particular situation marked the first known blackout to be primarily triggered by excessive voltage, which happens when surplus electrical pressure accumulates within a network.

"This is new territory," the official remarked, noting that the organization's role was "not to assign responsibility to any organization" regarding the underlying cause.

The April's power failure caused significant disruption for approximately 24 hours when it plunged numerous zones into darkness, cutting digital communications and suspending transport links.

Broad Consequences

The blackout affected large parts of the Spanish territory and Portuguese nation, and briefly affected French border regions.

The study, issued on the weekend, concentrated on the condition of the power systems on the date of the outage and the sequence of events preceding it.

Technical Malfunctions

A series of "sequential electrical spikes" - characterized as an elevation in the electrical supply voltage surpassing the regulated threshold - was determined to be the main reason behind the blackout, the investigation determined.

Overvoltage can be caused by increases in grids due to surplus generation or lightning strikes, or when defensive mechanisms are insufficient.

Based on the report, automatic defence plans were initiated but could not prevent the electrical network from failing.

Multiple Investigations

The investigation comes after various distinct investigations and reports by the Spain's administration, as well as electrical providers. The regulatory body and parliament members are also performing distinct examinations.

The national authorities maintains that the association's findings validates its earlier determinations.

The minister for energy transition stated that it was "entirely consistent" with the results of an investigation it commissioned which ended in summer that each of the primary network operator and private electricity companies were responsible.

Diverging Accounts

Both the main network manager and the private firms have maintained that they were not to blame. The owning corporation has assigned responsibility for the failure on some conventional energy facilities' shortcoming to help preserve appropriate voltage.

Spanish utilities claimed it was generated by inadequate preparation from system controllers.

Examination Obstacles

The study also highlighted that some important data was absent and that "acquiring complete, high-quality data proved very challenging for this inquiry".

A definitive analysis, to be issued in the initial three months of the coming year, will examine the root causes of the overvoltage and the measures employed to control power parameters in the system.

Political Debate

The failure triggered a broader debate that spilled into the administrative domain about the country's power strategy.

The political rivals proposed that an expanding commitment on green electricity, promoted by the ruling coalition of the national leader, could have been a relevant element in generating the outage and the territory's diminishing production of atomic power meant a consistent reserve was unobtainable.

The administration roundly rejected these explanations and the new report was careful to avoid taking sides when it involved the causes of the spring's unique outage.

Instant Effects

The loss of power compelled Madrid Open Tennis organizers to stop a competition partially completed the contest.

Spain's nuclear power plants immediately shut down when the outage struck, and the Spanish oil company reported it halted operations at its petroleum facilities.

Civil Disorder

Structures were plunged into darkness, while cellular devices and traffic lights stopped working. Lines extended along city blocks and electronic transactions stopped working, obliging people to line up for money and pack onto buses as different mobility options were inoperative.

Rescue personnel were summoned to numerous structures to free people stuck in lifts in the central territory and medical facilities activated crisis protocols, suspending standard operations.