Barcelona (Platts)--26Jan2009

Spanish power grid operator Red Electrica and French counterpart RTE have
suspended commercial operations between the two countries because of network
damage caused by fierce winds over the weekend, the two operators said on
Sunday.

The suspension is to last until repairs are made to the transmission
systems affected by the adverse weather, which hit large swathes of northern
Spain and southern France, cutting power to hundreds of thousands of
electricity users.

Various communities remain without power or with a supply situation
described as precarious.

Red Electrica said on Saturday that in Spain 20 high-tension towers
were toppled by winds that reached 200 km/hour, affecting 17 transmission
lines in a zone running from the northwest Galicia region to Catalonia in the
east. Various distribution systems and wind energy installations were damaged
as well.

It added that to meet the emergency situation 13 additional power plant,
representing 6,000 MW of capacity, were put on line.