The Iberian Peninsula Blackout: Opportunities for Foundational Models

This presentation explores the recent blackout event in the Iberian Peninsula as a case study of the growing complexity in operating power systems dominated by renewable energy sources (RES). The event exposed critical limitations in current operational strategies under high-RES penetration, particularly in managing uncertainty and system flexibility. We examine where foundational AI models can offer meaningful support, including in forecasting, system awareness, and real-time decision-making. Special attention is also given to strategies for generating high-quality, diverse datasets required to train such models effectively.