Since the peninsula went dark on April 28, 2025, various measures are being taken to prevent another blackout from happening again. From the activation of Active Demand Response Services (SRAD) to temporarily curtailing large power consumers to adjust the balance between generation and demand, to enabling more than 300 facilities for dynamic voltage regulation, there are many pieces that are going to make the grid more resilient. And some are as big as they are weird.
Recently, Red Electrica began work to build the lifeline of the Spanish electricity system, following the approval of the Ministry for Environmental Change (MITECO), as reported by El Periódico de la Energía. These are synchronous compensators that do not produce power, but can help stabilize the network.
What exactly is this monster? Synchronous compensators are rotating electrical machines that help ensure the stability and security of electrical systems, especially in the face of the integration of renewable sources such as solar and wind, which provide great variability in the network. These powerful devices balance through mechanical inertia, stop sudden variations in frequency, and provide short-circuit power by injecting current in the event of failure. Thus, they are able to regulate the network voltage and provide greater stability to the entire system.
According to El Periódico de la Energía, there will be eight synchronous compensators approved by MITECO that will be distributed throughout the national electrical system to power certain regions.
Greater system stability. Unlike other sources of power generation such as traditional hydroelectric or thermoelectric plants, solar or wind power does not produce electricity intermittently and in a constant and stable manner. Its output is usually very high at certain times (in the case of solar power, during the central part of the day; in the case of wind, when the wind is blowing) and zero at others.
That’s where synchronous compensators come into play. These giants act like a giant electric motor plugged into an outlet, like a conventional power plant generator, only in this case it’s not connected to anything (except the electrical grid) and therefore doesn’t produce electricity for use. It simply rotates freely, storing kinetic energy that can be released instantaneously by inertia in the event of a disturbance in the grid, such as a sudden drop in generation, which is common in systems with high renewable penetration.
For transport networks. Red Electrica, as the system operator, will be in charge of building these first compensators and it will be done, as the same energy source said, from the Cabra 400 kV substation in the province of Córdoba, the Santa Maria de Grado 400 kV in Asturias and the Rocamora 400 kV in Alicante. In addition to these, projects are also underway at the Pierola (Barcelona), Almaraz (Cáceres), Bellinchón (Cuenca), Brovalles (Badajoz) and Beariz (Orens) substations. All will be installed on the transmission network operated by Red Electrica.
According to data published by El Periodico de la Energía, each of these compensators will cost around 100 million euros, which will be paid for through the tolls that consumers pay for their electricity bills.
Picture | Mr. Dr3igeitelt
In Xataka | Despite record solar production in Spain, the average user’s electricity bill exceeds 104 euros
