Beatriz Corredor: From Housing Minister to Managing Spain's Historic Power Blackout Crisis

Posted on

Apr 30, 2025

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Beatriz Corredor: From Housing Minister to Managing Spain's Historic Power Blackout Crisis

The largest electrical blackout in modern Spanish history has thrust Beatriz Corredor, president of Spain's national grid operator Red Eléctrica de España (REE), into the spotlight as she navigates the most significant crisis of her career. As investigations continue into the massive power failure that affected over 50 million people across the Iberian Peninsula on April 28, 2025, pressure mounts on the former Socialist minister whose leadership is now under intense scrutiny.

The Unprecedented Blackout That Paralyzed a Nation

On Monday, April 28, 2025, at precisely 12:33 local time, Spain experienced what experts are calling the most severe electrical failure in its modern history. In just five seconds, the Spanish electrical system lost 15 gigawatts of power-equivalent to 60% of the country's electrical production at that moment 2 3. The sudden collapse paralyzed not only the Spanish peninsula but also affected Portugal, Andorra, and parts of southern France, impacting more than 50 million people 3.

The blackout's consequences were immediate and widespread. Telecommunications networks failed, rail services including metro systems came to a standstill, traffic lights ceased functioning, and elevators stopped operating throughout affected regions3. Spain's nuclear power plants automatically disconnected as a safety measure, further complicating the power restoration process 3. Only buildings with their own generators, such as hospitals and critical infrastructure, maintained electricity.

"15 gigawatts of generation were suddenly lost from the system in just 5 seconds," explained Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in the immediate aftermath 3. The unprecedented nature of the failure created a situation that required a complex restart of the entire electrical grid-a process that took between 1 and 24 hours depending on the area3.

Most tragically, the blackout resulted in eight deaths and at least 25 injuries across the affected regions 3. The victims included individuals dependent on electrical medical equipment, as well as people who died from carbon monoxide poisoning while using generators indoors 3.

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Who is Beatriz Corredor? The Career Path to Red Eléctrica

At the center of this crisis stands Beatriz Corredor Sierra, the 56-year-old president of Red Eléctrica de España since February 2020. Born in Madrid on July 1, 1968, Corredor has built a career that spans law, politics, and corporate leadership, though notably without specific expertise in the electrical sector prior to her REE appointment 17.

Corredor earned her law degree from the Autonomous University of Madrid in 1991 and at just 25 years old became the youngest person ever to join Spain's prestigious Registry of Property and Commercial Registrars after passing highly competitive state examinations in 1993 11 17. She practiced as a property registrar for over 25 years before taking leave to pursue other roles.

Her political career began in 2003 when she joined the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). She served as a Madrid city councilor and housing spokesperson from 2007 until April 2008, when then-Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero appointed her as Minister of Housing, a position she held until October 2010 11 16. She later served as Secretary of State for Housing and Urban Affairs until December 2011 when the Socialist government ended its term 16.

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After several years away from frontline politics, Corredor returned to prominence in 2017 as Secretary for Territorial Planning and Public Housing Policies in the PSOE's Federal Executive Commission. She also served as president of the Pablo Iglesias Foundation from 2018 to 2020 and briefly as a member of Congress representing Madrid in 2019-2020 11 16.

On February 21, 2020, the Red Eléctrica board proposed Corredor as the company's new president, and she officially took office four days later, replacing former minister Jordi Sevilla, who had resigned the previous month 16. Her appointment came despite having no specific background in energy or electrical infrastructure management.

Corredor maintains one of Spain's highest public salaries, earning €546,000 annually (€530,000 in fixed compensation plus €16,000 in board attendance fees) 17 20, placing her among the highest-paid public officials in the country.

The Crisis Management Response

As the unprecedented blackout unfolded on April 28, Red Eléctrica's systems detected what the company described as "an element compatible with a loss of generation" in the southwestern peninsula region, followed 1.5 seconds later by "another element compatible with loss of generation," leading to "conditions compatible with the oscillations detected" at the moment of the blackout 3.

The response to restore power began around 5:00 PM on the day of the blackout, with a gradual recovery process. By 7:00 PM, approximately 35% of demand had electricity restored; by 10:00 PM, this figure had risen to 43% 3. By 6:00 AM the following morning, Red Eléctrica announced that 99% of demand was being met 3.

Notably, Corredor did not make her first public statements about the crisis until 45 hours after the incident. In a radio interview with Cadena SER on Wednesday, April 30, she rejected calls for her resignation, stating firmly: "No, I will not resign"9. She defended her company's response, insisting that "we have the best system" despite the unprecedented failure 9.

In her public explanations, Corredor has reopened the possibility of a cyberattack-a theory initially considered but preliminarily discounted by investigators2 0. She has also sought to exonerate renewable energy sources from blame, despite the fact that at the time of the blackout, solar photovoltaic energy accounted for 54.86% of the peninsula's electricity generation 3.

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Mounting Pressure for Accountability

As Spain recovers from the physical damage of the blackout, political and social pressure on Corredor has intensified significantly. The civil association Hazte Oír has launched a signature campaign demanding her resignation, collecting nearly 25,000 signatures within 72 hours-half of their 50,000 goal 2.

"The former Socialist minister in charge of Red Eléctrica is laughing at us and shamelessly says she acted correctly. How long are we going to allow this?" reads the organization's statement on social media2.

More severely, on Wednesday, May 1, the labor union Manos Limpias filed the first formal legal complaint against Corredor, attributing to her "crimes against public health, devastation, injuries and damages, as well as negligent homicide" as a consequence of the blackout2. The organization holds her responsible for all "personal and material damages," including economic losses estimated at more than €1.6 billion, anxiety crises among the population, people trapped in trains, metros and elevators, and canceled hospital appointments2.

The Economic Impact of 24 Dark Hours

The financial consequences of the blackout have been severe and wide-ranging. Industry sources indicate the power outage could cost Spain at least €1 billion in lost economic activity due to the paralysis of industry and services throughout Monday4.

With Spain's daily GDP estimated at approximately €4.1 billion, the blackout directly impacted about 14% (€575 million) corresponding to industry-most of which had to stop production without electricity-and another 12% (€500 million) in services4. Additional indirect costs related to lost productive stocks and perishable foods without refrigeration for more than ten hours push the total impact beyond the €1 billion mark.

Major industrial companies were forced to halt operations, including car manufacturers Seat and Ford at Almussafes, the Tarragona petrochemical plant, and train manufacturer CAF in Guipúzcoa 4. The agricultural sector, hospitality, tourism, commerce, and food industries all suffered significant losses as well 2.

Beyond the immediate economic damage, the electrical crisis had a profound effect on Spain's energy market. The day after the blackout, electricity prices surged fivefold as the system was forced to rely on combined-cycle gas plants-a much more expensive source than the renewables that had predominated before the failure3.

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Government Response and Support for Corredor

Despite growing calls for accountability, Corredor has received significant support from key government officials. Sara Aagesen, Spain's Third Vice President and Minister for Ecological Transition, has been particularly vocal in her defense, describing Corredor as doing "extraordinary" work in resolving the crisis9.

The government's support isn't surprising given that just one year ago, in April 2024, they renewed Corredor's mandate as REE president until 2028, citing her "extremely high added value" and "solid preparation" in an official report to shareholders9. The Appointments Committee, influenced by the state-owned holding company SEPI (which owns 20% of REE), specifically praised "the extremely high added value of her professional profile for managing institutional relations"9.

Meanwhile, Minister of the Presidency Félix Bolaños has urged patience in determining the cause of the blackout, stating on Friday that the government "is not in a hurry" to identify the cause but instead wants a "rigorous" investigation to determine the exact origin of the failure2.

On May 2, Spain and Portugal announced the creation of a joint monitoring group to identify the causes of the blackout and prevent future occurrences10. Led by Aagesen and her Portuguese counterpart, Environment and Energy Minister Maria da Graça Carvalho, the group will coordinate information shared with European organizations including ENTSO-e and the European Commission10.

Investigating the Causes

While the investigation continues, several hypotheses have emerged to explain the unprecedented failure:

The most widely supported theory points to a critical imbalance caused by sudden variations in electrical generation-possibly from the disconnection of several renewable plants-that could not be compensated for in time5. This type of imbalance creates a frequency drop that, if not corrected within milliseconds, forces the disconnection of large blocks of the system to prevent catastrophic damage.

Another possibility involves the excessive proportion of solar energy in the system at the time of the failure. When the blackout occurred, solar photovoltaic energy represented nearly 55% of the peninsular generation mix3. Some experts suggest the system may have been "a victim of its own success," unable to absorb the excess solar energy, which led to a voltage drop that triggered protective systems3.

Although Red Eléctrica has preliminarily ruled out a cyberattack on its systems, investigations continue through multiple agencies including Spain's National Intelligence Center (CNI), the National Cryptologic Center (CCN), the National Institute of Cybersecurity (INCIBE), and the National Center for the Protection of Critical Infrastructures (CNPIC)3.

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A Personal Life Beyond the Crisis

Beyond her professional profile, little is publicly known about Corredor's personal life. Recent reports indicate she has three daughters from two marriages and owns a property in Ibiza 22. She is also reportedly a fan of classical composer Johann Sebastian Bach 22.

Professionally, in addition to her role at Red Eléctrica, Corredor holds numerous positions on advisory boards and foundations, including serving as Vice President of the Board of Trustees of the Reina Sofía National Art Museum, mentor at the Endeavor Spain Foundation, and member of various councils including Women Action Sustainability, Women in a Legal World, and the Norman Foster Institute Academic Council18.

The Road Ahead

As investigations continue into exactly what caused Spain's most significant electrical failure in modern history, Beatriz Corredor faces the dual challenge of managing the technical investigation while defending her leadership position. The coming weeks will be critical as more details emerge about the precise sequence of events that led to the massive blackout.

For Spain's electrical system, the incident has highlighted critical vulnerabilities in a grid increasingly dependent on renewable energy sources. With the country committed to an ambitious energy transition, the lessons learned from this crisis will shape how Spain balances its clean energy goals with the need for system stability and reliability.

Whether Corredor will survive this crisis politically remains uncertain. Her term as REE president runs until 2028, but the unprecedented nature of the failure and mounting public pressure could potentially force a reassessment of her position. What is clear is that Spain's electrical system will never be the same after what many are now simply calling "the great blackout of 2025."

Conclusion

The April 28 blackout has become a watershed moment for Spain's energy infrastructure and a defining crisis for Beatriz Corredor's career. As a former minister without specific expertise in electrical systems now leading the country's grid operator through its darkest hour, Corredor embodies both the promise and the challenges of Spain's ambitious energy transition.

While investigations continue and the political fallout unfolds, one thing remains certain: the unprecedented nature of this electrical failure will have lasting implications for Spain's energy policy, critical infrastructure security, and the public's confidence in essential services. For Corredor personally, her handling of this crisis may well determine whether her leadership at Red Eléctrica continues or becomes another casualty of the great blackout of 2025.

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