Firms across Spain and Portugal are scrambling to secure battery power following a widespread blackout last year that caused significant disruption and financial losses. The incident, which plunged the Iberian peninsula into darkness for several hours on April 28, 2025, highlighted the vulnerability of businesses reliant on a stable electricity supply.
Andrés Altabás, technology and systems director at Spanish meat processing firm Fribin, described the blackout as a "nightmarish situation." Emergency systems lacked the capacity for continued operation, forcing the company to prioritize refrigeration but halt all production lines. This resulted in the loss of many tonnes of meat and hundreds of thousands of euros.
Fribin, which consumes over 25 gigawatt-hours of energy annually, primarily for refrigeration, had previously considered investing in a battery backup system but deemed it too expensive. The blackout, however, catalyzed the investment. The company purchased two five megawatt-hour modules, totaling an investment of around €1.5 million, partly funded by the European Union's Next Generation funds.
Firms across Europe are increasingly switching to electricity from fossil fuels for industrial needs, often encouraged by EU subsidies. While this helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it also increases vulnerability to power cuts, a fact starkly demonstrated in Spain and Portugal.
Miguel Matias, founder of Portuguese energy services company Self Energy, noted that the industrial sector is among the first to adopt storage systems due to the severe impact of production drops. "A backup for a few hours, or even minutes, might guarantee that machines don't get damaged," he said.
Recent events, such as Storm Kristin in late January which toppled thousands of electricity and telecom poles across central Portugal, further spurred investment. In Spain, battery storage capacity has surged nearly sevenfold since last April, from approximately 28 MW to 193 MW in April 2026, according to grid operator Red Eléctrica. The Spanish government has awarded €827 million in EU funds to 133 energy storage projects, totaling 2,400 MW, with around 80% being battery storage.
Battery suppliers are experiencing increased demand and evolving customer requirements. Alberto Bodegas from Sungrow stated that clients now demand advanced capabilities like seamless backup, where the switch from grid to backup is instantaneous. Delivery times are also critical due to EU funding program deadlines.
Portugal's Vista Alegre, a porcelain manufacturer, installed energy storage systems in 2022, accelerating the process after last year's blackout. The company's facilities are now equipped with modules offering around 2 MWh of storage capacity. Emília Encarnação of Vista Alegre explained that the blackout caused irreparable losses, especially at plants operating on a continuous production basis.
Beyond responding to power shocks, battery installations also allow companies to profit by selling energy back to the grid. Primus Ceramics in Portugal, which uses roller kilns powered by electric motors, was saved by a diesel generator during the blackout. This experience accelerated their plans to enhance production resilience. Primus already had two batteries installed in 2022 for backup and selling electricity back to their energy company. By the end of this year, Primus will more than double its battery capacity to store more energy from its solar panels.
