Lisbon, May 29, 2025 (Lusa) - Portugal's government has extended until 6 June the deadline for transport, civil aviation and telecommunications regulators to submit their reports on the 28 April blackout.
According to an official source from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz extended the deadline, which was due to expire today, "for the submission of the in-depth technical analysis and independent assessment requested from the Institute for Mobility and Transport, the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) and the National Communications Authority (ANACOM) on the impact of the “blackout” in the country on 28 April in the areas of transport, civil aviation and telecommunications".
He explained to Lusa that this is due to "the complexity of the matter and the need to consult various entities". Accordingly, the deadline for the reports requested by the government after the incident has been extended to 6 June.
REN - Redes Energéticas Nacionais and E-Redes, which also requested an extension of the deadlines, have already submitted their report on the power outage of 28 April to the sector regulator (ERSE), both requesting that it be considered an "exceptional event".
The classification of the event could be decisive for the eventual payment of compensation. If it is considered exceptional, the obligation to compensate consumers could be mitigated or even cancelled.
However, as ERSE explained to Lusa, the decision on the classification of the event will be made public and duly justified, and "as this is a Europe-wide incident, the decision may have to wait for the final report from the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E)," it added.
The blackout, classified as "exceptional and serious", originated in Spain and caused significant interruptions to the electricity supply in Portugal, Spain and parts of France. Preliminary investigations point to a sudden loss of solar power generation as a possible cause, but the final conclusions are still pending.
The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity is investigating the causes of this blackout, which it has classified as exceptional and serious. This panel of experts will prepare a factual report that will serve as the basis for the final report, to be completed by October 28 this year.
The final report on the investigation is expected to be published by 30 September 2026 at the latest. However, the Minister for the Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, revealed that the president of ENTSO-E has committed to making "every effort" to bring forward the conclusions of the investigation, which could be delivered within six months.
SCR/ADB // ADB.
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