translated from Spanish: December blackout was due to fire: experts consulted by CFE

A group of specialists consulted by the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) attributed the blackout last December and that affected more than 10 million users to a fire.
In a press conference, the experts coordinated by Ricardo Octavio Mota Palomino, specialist in operation and planning in power systems and interconnected systems, also highlighted failures in the National Transmission Network, as well as in the “interconnection of private generators”.
“The fault was due to a fire in this area, there was a local dump of the communities that live nearby. There was a fire that produces a column of hot air that is ionized and produces a discharge when it has contact with the transmission line… and there is a ground discharge,” Mota Palomino said.

You may be interested in | Blackout: How the electricity system works and why experts reject blaming renewables
He explained that although the protection systems initially operated correctly, “various conditions” led to the loss of stability of the National Transmission Network and the disconnection of six transmission lines.

Among the factors he highlighted is “the excess in intermittent renewable generation, which produced a saturation in the transmission lines, which “worked at full load to evacuate the intermittent energy that was being produced in the north of the country.”
The experts pointed out alleged irregularities in the interconnection of the San Carlos Wind Farm, owned by acciona, which, they said, was connected in an “improper” way.
“We learned that they had been working to insert a new wind power plant into the line that failed. They left the connected computers untested. We found breaches in the study of facilities,” they said.
In addition, they argued that all insertions in the National Transmission Grid for the reception of new power plants that produce intermittent renewable energy undermined the security of the Grid.
“To date, 153 generating plants have been incorporated, each of which has made the Transmission and Distribution networks less secure,” they said.
They also recommended that the incorporation of new intermittent renewable energy sources be accompanied by a “respective increase in the means to ensure the correct control of frequency and voltage, under normal and emergency conditions.”
This resolution coincides with the cfe’s first explanation for the blackout, which argued that the fire, along with the application of renewable energy, weakened the Commission’s planning system.
The experts consulted by CFE are Sergio Guerrero Alcázar, interdisciplinary analyst of power systems; Héctor Altuve Ferrer, specialist in protection and control; Carlos Morán Ramírez, specialist in protection and control; Nahúm Román Vargas, specialist in energy control; and Jorge Betanzos, specialist in distribution networks.
What we do at Animal Politico requires professional journalists, teamwork, dialogue with readers and something very important: independence. You can help us continue. Be part of the team.
Subscribe to Animal Politico, receive benefits and support free journalism.#YoSoyAnimal

Original source in Spanish