JAKARTA The Spanish government is investigating a possible cyber weakness that caused massive power outages on April 28, 2025, which had paralyzed most of the territory on the Iberian Peninsula.
As part of the investigation, the Spanish National Cybersecurity Institute (Incibe) has requested information from small-scale electrical manufacturers regarding their cyber defense. The move sparked debate over whether Spain's dependence on renewable energy was a weak point exploited by malicious actors.
Sources familiar with the investigation said that government officials were concerned about the cyber resilience of solar power plants and small and medium-scale winds that are now widely spread in Spain in line with the growth in the country's renewable energy sector.
Until now, the exact cause of the collapse of the Iberian electricity system on April 28 is not yet known, and the alleged cyberattack has not been ruled out. "Currently, all possibilities are still open," said the Spanish Ministry of Energy and Environment.
Separately, a judge at the Spanish National High Court has opened an investigation into alleged cyberattacks as the cause of the incident.
Spanish power grid operator Red Electica stated a day after the incident that they had found no evidence of a cyberattack on their facility. However, since then, the company has not provided further statements.
The Spanish government recently revealed that the country experienced around 100,000 cyberattacks last year, of which 70% targeted companies and other organizations. To strengthen cyber defenses, the government announced an investment of 1.1 billion euros (IDR 18.2 trillion).
Three renewable energy generation management companies confessed to the Financial Times that they had received many questions from Incabe, such as:
Can the generator be controlled remotely?
Was there an anomaly before the April 28 incident?
Did the system recently get a security update?
A government official asserted that the investigation covered a wide range of possibilities, and questions from Incabe did not indicate that one theory was more important than the other.
The Spanish transition from a large fossil fuel-based power plant to a system with thousands of small renewable energy-based power plants has expanded the potential for cyber-attack entry points. Devices run with firmware as well as communication lines between generating units and control centers are referred to as potential loopholes.
Red Electica stated that it received direct data from 4,000 renewable energy installations with a capacity of at least 1 megawatt. They can also send real-time instructions to power plants with a capacity of 5MW or more.
However, in the latest annual report, parent company Red Eléctrica called the risk of a lack of real-time information from power plants with a capacity below 1MW which is now a huge number.
According to the Photovoltaic Energy Manufacturers Association (Anpier), there are about 54,000 solar power installations in Spain, including roof panels at home, offices, and factories.
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Several electricity sector executives in Spain cast doubt on cyberattacks as the main cause, given the complexity of paralyzing the system dramatically. However, they also recognize the possibility of a new form of attack that has never been imagined.
Miguel L waypez, South European Regional Sales Director of cybersecurity firm Barracuda, said: "With the information currently available, cyberattacks don't seem to make the most sense, as a highly coordinated attack will be needed at various points."
He added that if cyberattacks really damage the system, the recovery process will not be completed in just 16 hours, as happened in this incident.
Anpier also stated that in general, small photovoltaic installations do not have systems that can be attacked remotely and are not large enough to cause system disruption.
The power outage came after Spain lost supply of 15 gigawatts or 60% of total power in just five seconds, which caused instability and layoffs at a number of other plants. Prior to the incident, renewable energy accounted for 70% of the national electricity supply.
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