On April 28, 2025, a devastating power blackout plunged over 60 million people across Spain and Portugal into darkness, marking one of the most catastrophic electrical failures in recent European history. Flights were disrupted, hospitals strained under pressure, and millions were left without essential electricity. Official investigations revealed that the collapse stemmed from critical instability in the grid’s frequency, causing a complete failure of the system.
This disaster starkly highlights the inherent dangers of an overreliance on intermittent renewable energy sources—solar and wind—that cannot guarantee consistent power supply when natural conditions falter. The intermittent nature of renewables, combined with a worrying reduction in reliable backup energy from traditional sources like gas and nuclear, left the grid perilously fragile.
Across the Channel, this event casts a harsh light on the UK's disastrous energy policies under the current Labour leadership, particularly those pursued by Ed Miliband. His reckless commitment to the Net Zero agenda has led to billions being sunk into unproven green technologies—such as heat pumps, solar panels, and offshore wind farms—while vital domestic fossil fuel industries suffer strangulation. The £8.3 billion taxpayer-funded Great British Energy project exemplifies this futile expenditure, promising a decarbonised grid by 2030 but risking energy security and economic stability in the process.
Opposition voices, long warning of this trajectory, find vindication in the Iberian blackout. The abrupt abandonment of North Sea oil and gas investment underlines the folly of ideologically driven policies that jeopardise thousands of skilled British jobs and dilute national energy sovereignty. Notably, Gary Smith of the GMB union, a significant Labour donor himself, has condemned these policies as “absolute bonkers,” stressing the existential threat they pose to UK industry and security.
Even among Labour’s own veterans, discontent simmers. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has labelled Miliband’s Net Zero strategy as utterly disconnected from reality, exposing a “credibility gap” between lofty environmental ideals and the everyday experiences of British citizens burdened with soaring bills and unreliable power supplies. Blair’s prediction that the UK’s current energy strategy is “doomed to fail” echoes a growing chorus of scepticism nationwide.
The risks extend far beyond economics and environmental posturing—they strike at the heart of national security. Curtailing domestic fossil fuel extraction critically increases dependence on foreign imports, making the UK vulnerable to geopolitical upheavals and energy supply shocks. A responsible policy would balance environmental goals with pragmatic energy resilience, safeguarding jobs and sovereignty—a balance the current government has decidedly failed to achieve.
This latest European blackout should serve as a stark warning for the UK and its green-leaning policymakers: forsaking reliable, homegrown energy for ideologically driven renewable experiments is a reckless gamble with the nation’s security and prosperity. Independent voices within the political spectrum have long advocated for a more robust, balanced energy strategy—one that prioritises real-world reliability, economic growth, and national self-reliance over empty green promises. Without urgent course correction, the UK risks following Spain and Portugal into a worsening energy crisis, to the detriment of every British home and business.
Source: Noah Wire Services