Lo piensan todos. Lo decimos nosotros. · Roberto Cavada

ndependencia Energética: El plan para que RD no dependa de combustibles bloqueados

·34 min·2 clips

Miguel Ángel Campo explains that on April 27, 2025 — the day of Spain's major blackout — solar was at 55% and wind at 15% of generation, but the combined cycle plants that provide fast frequency regulation had been shut down.

1. The 'Lo piensan todos. Lo decimos nosotros.' podcast hosts Rafael Velasco, former Dominican Republic electricity superintendent, and Miguel Ángel Campo Conde, a renewable energy consultant with experience in Spain and Europe, to discuss energy security and renewable energy. 2. Rafael Velasco held the role of electricity superintendent in the Dominican Republic; Miguel Ángel Campo Conde is a graduate in Naval Machines and Merchant Marine from the University of Cantabria with extensive experience in Spain's energy sector. 3. The episode's driving context is a Strait of Hormuz blockade disrupting 20-30% of global oil and gas trade, which the hosts use to argue that renewable energy is a national security strategy, not just an environmental choice. 4. Velasco explains that the Dominican Republic faces two impact stages from the Hormuz crisis: immediate price increases as a net importer, and eventual supply competition if the blockade extends and Asian markets — the primary consumers — begin seeking alternative sources. 5. Spain generated 56% of its electricity from renewables in 2024, comprising 13% hydroelectric, 25% wind, and 17% solar photovoltaic, with nuclear contributing an additional 20% and combined cycle gas at 13.6%. 6. The Dominican Republic currently generates approximately 11% from pure renewables — wind, solar, and biomass — rising to 18-20% when hydroelectric is included, compared to 7% just a few years ago. 7. Velasco attributes the Dominican Republic's slow renewable progress primarily to transmission and distribution infrastructure that cannot yet safely absorb more variable generation without destabilizing grid frequency. 8. Of the Dominican Republic's approximately 4,000 megawatt demand, about 1,500 megawatts of renewable capacity is currently connected to the grid, but availability is variable depending on sun and wind conditions. 9. Campo explains Spain's April 27, 2025 blackout: solar was at 55% and wind at 15% of generation at the time, but combined cycle gas plants — which can add or remove 40-50 megawatts in seconds to regulate grid frequency — had been shut down. 10. The blackout began in Extremadura and Andalusia, which together host 75% of Spain's installed solar photovoltaic capacity; the grid started showing oscillations in voltage and frequency in the days before the event. 11. When Spain's grid destabilized, European interconnections cut Spain off to prevent cascade failure across the continental grid, leaving Spain isolated with no fast-regulation backup. 12. Campo explains that solar photovoltaic cannot provide instantaneous frequency regulation — a passing cloud can remove 100 megawatts in milliseconds — while combined cycle gas plants and wind turbines can regulate in seconds. 13. Nuclear plants generate a stable 6 gigawatts continuously in Spain but cannot modulate quickly; they function as baseload, not as frequency regulators, and cannot ramp up or down to compensate for sudden renewable variability. 14. The host raises the question of why the Dominican Republic does not pursue nuclear energy; Campo explains nuclear's value is as baseload and notes it is already at full capacity in Spain, while Velasco notes Dominican Republic-scale grids would need significant infrastructure upgrades first. 15. On coal, Campo notes it is a cheap base energy option but poor for frequency regulation, cannot ramp up or down quickly, and faces financing restrictions — multilateral lenders increasingly refuse coal project loans, making coal 'the new tobacco' in terms of stigma. 16. The Dominican Republic operates multiple coal plants including Punta Catalina and Itabo, sourcing coal from Colombia; Velasco acknowledges these exist but notes international financing for new coal is now effectively unavailable. 17. A newly inaugurated combined cycle gas plant in Monte Cristi was cited as an important step toward geographic distribution of generation — the Dominican Republic had concentrated most generation in the south, creating hurricane vulnerability. 18. Velasco argues the Dominican Republic's most fundamental energy problem is collection: electricity theft and non-payment from all social classes, including wealthier and politically connected users, drain the system's financial viability regardless of how generation is structured. 19. He cites Villa Playbo — where predominantly poor Haitian residents receive electricity and pay for it — as a counterexample to the political protection of non-payment among more connected users, arguing enforcement must be universal. 20. Energy policy researchers, utility industry professionals, and Spanish-speaking listeners interested in small-island energy security and the practical challenges of renewable grid integration will find the technical depth and Caribbean-specific context valuable.

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