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A major voltage spike that resulted in a extensive power outage across Spanish territory and Portugal has been classified as the "most severe" electrical incident in European nations during the past 20 years, and represents a first event of its kind, according to a newly released investigation.

Damian Cortinas of the association of power network managers stated that this specific situation marked the first known blackout to be directly caused by voltage surge, which happens when excessive power voltage builds up within a network.

"This is unprecedented ground," the official commented, noting that the organization's purpose was "not to apportion blame to any organization" regarding the underlying cause.

The April's blackout generated significant interruption for approximately 24 hours when it cast multiple areas into powerless state, cutting digital communications and suspending transport links.

Extensive Effects

The power outage affected extensive regions of the Spanish territory and Portugal, and temporarily impacted southwestern France.

The investigation, published on the weekend, centered on the condition of the electrical networks on the day of the blackout and the chain of events preceding it.

Infrastructure Breakdowns

A cascade of "progressive voltage surges" - described as an increase in the electrical supply voltage surpassing the standard level - was found to be the key factor behind the failure, the investigation concluded.

Voltage surge can be generated by increases in systems due to oversupply or weather events, or when safety systems are inadequate.

Based on the investigation, automatic defence plans were initiated but failed to halt the electrical network from shutting down.

Various Inquiries

The report follows multiple independent examinations and reports by the Spanish government, as well as electrical providers. The oversight organization and parliament members are also performing independent inquiries.

The Madrid administration maintains that the organization's conclusions validates its previous conclusions.

Sara Aagesen for environmental policy commented that it was "completely in line" with the outcomes of an inquiry it authorized which ended in June that each of the main system manager and independent power providers were responsible.

Diverging Narratives

Each of the main network manager and the private firms have maintained that they were not to blame. The parent company has assigned responsibility for the outage on specific coal, gas and nuclear power plants' shortcoming to help sustain proper electrical levels.

Spanish utilities stated it was caused by poor planning from grid operators.

Analysis Difficulties

The investigation also highlighted that certain crucial information was absent and that "gathering thorough, reliable details proved particularly problematic for this investigation".

A conclusive study, to be issued in the first quarter of the coming year, will analyze the root causes of the overvoltage and the measures implemented to manage voltage in the network.

Governmental Discussion

The outage sparked a wider discussion that extended into the governmental sphere about the country's power strategy.

The competing parties indicated that an growing dependence on sustainable power, championed by the ruling coalition of the prime minister, could have been a relevant element in causing the failure and the nation's reducing availability of nuclear energy meant a consistent reserve was not available.

The authorities roundly rejected these hypotheses and the recent study was cautious to stay impartial when it involved the sources of April's unprecedented blackout.

Immediate Impacts

The power disruption obliged sports event coordinators to stop a game partially completed the contest.

Spain's nuclear power plants instantly ceased operations when the failure occurred, and the fuel processing entity reported it halted operations at its oil refineries.

Public Disruption

Edifices were cast into blackout, while mobile phones and traffic lights stopped working. Lines wound through street corners and electronic transactions stopped working, forcing people to wait for currency and crowd into public transportation as other transport systems were inoperative.

Emergency workers were dispatched to 286 buildings to free people stuck in lifts in the central territory and medical facilities implemented contingency procedures, suspending standard operations.