Red Eléctrica, in view of the agreement of the Governing Body of the Island Council regarding the processing of the total power blackout incident that occurred on 29 September 2019 on the island of Tenerife, puts forth the following considerations:

• In order to be able to make an assessment of the Governing Board's decision, it is necessary to know what is in the agreement, which has not yet been notified and which may be appealed.
• However, it must be made clear, as has been evident from the outset of the incident, that the actions of System Operator in the management of the power blackout contributed to minimising its impact and were carried out in accordance with the established procedures with strict adherence to regulation and as a consequence the System Operator is therefore exempt from any responsibility for the cause and effects of the blackout. 
• Red Eléctrica (REE) is committed to improving the quality of the Canary Islands electricity transmission grid. This commitment has already been made evident by an investment of €789 million both in the development of new transmission infrastructure and in the renewal, improvement and maintenance of the Island’s transmission grid since 2011, when REE acquired and began to manage the assets of the Canary Islands Transmission Grid.

The execution of such actions has enabled, on the one hand, to adapt the condition of the assets of the Canary Islands to the quality standards of those of the national territory and, on the other hand, to improve the quality of service, thus significantly reducing the average interruption time (AIT) down to 5 minutes in 2020, from an average of 86 minutes in the five-year period prior to 2011.

REE reiterates its commitment to the continuous improvement of the electricity transmission grid infrastructure of the Canary Islands and, in coordination with all the competent public administrations, will continue to bolster it with new infrastructure that increases the robustness of the electricity system in the archipelago, providing it with new tools that strengthen the security of supply and facilitate the integration of renewable energy and the modernisation of the facilities that are currently in service.