ESIC-AGI FA26 Power Seminar Series: Simulation and Analysis of the 2025 Iberian Blackout Using Dynaꞷo: The French TSO Perspective
About the event
Energy Systems Innovcation Center (ESIC) hosts “Simulation and Analysis of the 2025 Iberian Blackout Using Dynaꞷo: The French TSO Perspective” to be presented by Dr. Marco Chiaramello, RTE-France.
OVERVIEW
On 28 April 2025, continental Spain and Portugal experienced a total blackout, while the rest of the European power system remained largely unaffected. This major event, the most severe blackout in Europe in more than 20 years, provides a unique opportunity to investigate the behaviour of a highly interconnected power system undergoing a rapid transition towards inverter-based and distributed generation. The event is analysed using a time-domain model of the Iberian system derived from an anonymised network snapshot and enriched with the information available following the incident.
In its final report on the event, the ENTSO-E Expert Panel identified LF Energy’s Dynaωo, an open-source, industrial-grade suite of power-system simulation tools, as the basis for its independent voltage stability study. Using Dynaωo, the study was able to reproduce the main features of the observed event and to investigate the mechanisms contributing to the voltage rise that preceded the cascade. The simulations provide insights into the roles played by cross-border exchanges, TSO-DSO interactions, distributed renewable generation and limited reactive-power margins, while demonstrating the ability of the simulation tools to handle large-scale models with a very high number of variables and complex control interactions.
Beyond the analysis of the blackout itself, the study illustrates the value of using an open-source industrial simulation tool for the investigation of major power-system events. Dynaωo provides transparency and reproducibility while combining advanced modelling capabilities with the performance and robustness required for large-scale industrial studies. Its use in this work also illustrates how an open-source tool can support independent analyses of complex real-world events and facilitate the sharing and verification of simulation methodologies and results.
The presentation will detail the modelling and simulation approach used to analyze the 28 April 2025 event, the main modelling challenges encountered, and the key insights obtained from the simulations. It will also provide an overview of Dynaωo and its capabilities, giving some insight into how the suite of simulation tools combines different simulation approaches to address a broad range of power-system studies, from steady-state and voltage-stability analyses to transient and dynamic simulations. The presentation will thereby highlight both the specific contribution of Dynaωo to the analysis of the Iberian blackout and its broader potential as a transparent, reproducible and high-performance suite of tools for large-scale power-system simulation.
BIO
Dr. Marco Chiaramello has been working in the R&D department at RTE (Réseau de Transport d’Électricité), the French transmission system operator, since 2017. Since 2023, he has been leading R&D efforts on transmission-grid modelling and simulation, addressing the challenges arising from the rapid evolution of power systems, including the growing penetration of renewable energy, HVDC links and advanced protection and control schemes. His work focuses on developing new approaches for modelling and simulating the behaviour of transmission systems and on providing the tools needed to analyse and operate increasingly complex grids.
In this context, he leads the development of Dynawo, RTE’s open-source suite of power-system simulation tools, which is used operationally at RTE and has become a key tool for large-scale power-system studies. He also contributes to European and international collaborations and working groups, including activities within ENTSO-E, IEEE and European research projects.
Before joining RTE, Dr. Chiaramello worked in plasma physics, spending one year at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the United States working on magnetically confined plasmas. He obtained his PhD in Physics in 2016 from École Polytechnique / UPMC at the Laboratoire pour l’Utilisation des Lasers Intenses (LULI), where his research focused on laser–plasma interactions. He holds a Master’s degree in Energy and Nuclear Engineering from Politecnico di Torino, Italy.