Portugal’s Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, announced on Tuesday the establishment of an independent technical commission and a request for an EU audit to investigate the causes of a massive power outage that affected both Portugal and Spain on Monday.
Montenegro emphasized that the government would “spare no effort in clarifying a serious problem that did not originate in Portugal.” Speaking during the second extraordinary cabinet meeting in two days at the prime minister’s official residence in São Bento, Lisbon, he detailed the steps being taken to address the situation.
The government will request an independent audit from the European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) to thoroughly investigate the electricity systems of the affected countries. The goal is to fully understand the causes of the outage and ensure accountability.
In addition, Portugal will set up its own Independent Technical Commission to evaluate the country’s crisis response mechanisms, the resilience and recovery of the electricity system, and the strength of critical infrastructure, including civil protection, communications, and health services. The commission will be composed of seven experts: one from the energy sector, one from communications, one from civil protection, one from health, and three appointed by parliament.
Montenegro clarified that this commission’s work would begin after the upcoming early parliamentary elections on May 18, as the current parliament is dissolved. However, he assured that there would be sufficient time to assess the situation properly. “This is not an Independent Technical Commission to produce quick results in a hurry,” he stated. “It’s one that will delve deeply into the evaluation of reaction mechanisms, crisis management, infrastructure resilience, and critical services.”
The prime minister reiterated the government’s commitment to understanding both the causes and responses to the power outage and expressed full cooperation with European bodies in the auditing process.
Montenegro also announced that the government would not extend or worsen the current energy crisis declaration, which is set to expire today at 23:59.
