Finance
Spanish Watchdog Opens Further Probes Into Energy Firms Over Blackout
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 24, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 24, 2026
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Spain’s watchdog CNMC has expanded its investigation into the April 28, 2025 blackout, opening new sanction proceedings against Engie Cartagena, TotalEnergies Clientes and others, in addition to earlier probes of major energy firms.
Spain's CNMC Expands Energy Sector Probe After 2025 Blackout Incident
CNMC Investigation into Power Companies Following Blackout
Expansion of the Probe
April 24 (Reuters) - Spain's antitrust and energy watchdog CNMC has added more power companies, including local units of France's TotalEnergies and Engie, to the list of firms being investigated over last year's unprecedented blackout in Spain and Portugal, it said on Friday.
Background on the Blackout Incident
Last week the CNMC opened formal probes after finding evidence that some power sector rules were breached over extended periods, possibly contributing to the crippling outage on April 28, 2025.
Companies Under Investigation
It then said it was investigating Spanish grid operator Red Electrica (REE) - a unit of Redeia - and energy companies IberdrolaMC>, Naturgy, Endesa, and Repsol, as well as individual power plants.
New Sanctions and Company Responses
Now it has also opened sanctions procedures against Engie Cartagena and TotalEnergies Clientes, among others. Engie and Total did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Potential Penalties and Procedure Duration
Maximum Fines
CNMC head Cani Fernandez had previously said the most serious breaches could lead to a fine of up to 60 million euros.
Sanction Procedure Timelines
The sanction procedures have a maximum duration that varies between nine and 18 months, depending on the severity of the infraction, it said.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Joao Manuel Mauricio in Gdansk, additional reporting by America Hernandez, editing by Andrei Khalip)
Key Takeaways
- •CNMC has opened **new sanctioning proceedings** today, April 24, 2026, targeting Engie Cartagena, TotalEnergies Clientes, and additional entities, adding to prior actions against Endesa, Red Eléctrica, Iberdrola, Naturgy, Repsol and Bahía de Bizkaia (elpais.com).
- •The blackout was identified as **multifactorial**, caused by cascading overvoltage, regulatory and operational shortcomings—not directly attributed to any one company—and the new investigations focus on administrative breaches over prolonged periods (cadenaser.com).
- •Sanction procedures may last between **nine to eighteen months**, and the most serious breaches could result in fines up to **€60 million** (cadenaser.com).
References
- La CNMC abre 16 nuevos expedientes sancionadores por el apagón: 13 a Endesa y el resto a Engie, TotalEnergies y Contour Global
- La CNMC abre 15 nuevos expedientes sancionadores en su investigación por el apagón
- Competencia ve "indicios de incumplimiento" de Red Eléctrica, Iberdrola, Naturgy, Endesa y Repsol en la investigación del apagón
Frequently Asked Questions about Spanish watchdog opens further probes into energy firms over blackout
1Which companies are under investigation by Spain's CNMC over the blackout?
Spain's CNMC is investigating firms including TotalEnergies, Engie, Iberdrola, Naturgy, Endesa, Repsol, and several individual power plants.
2What triggered the CNMC's formal probes into the energy sector?
The probes were triggered after evidence suggested breaches of power sector rules, which may have contributed to the major blackout in Spain and Portugal on April 28, 2025.
3What penalties could companies face if found guilty of serious infractions?
The most serious breaches could result in fines of up to 60 million euros.
4How long can CNMC's sanction procedures last?
Sanction procedures can last from nine to eighteen months, depending on the severity of the infraction.
5Did TotalEnergies and Engie respond to requests for comment regarding the investigation?
TotalEnergies and Engie did not immediately reply to requests for comment, according to the report.
