Spain and Portugal power outage drives Fribin to spend $1.7m on battery storage
A major blackout in Spain and Portugal forced meat processor Fribin to invest approximately €1.5m in backup power systems after losing hundreds of thousands of euros worth of product.
On April 28, a massive power failure across Spain and Portugal forced production lines to halt for several hours. Andrés Altabás, technology and systems director at Fribin in Binéfar, reported that refrigeration systems were prioritized while all processing lines had to stop. Tens of thousands of euros worth of meat was discarded due to the sudden shutdown.
Fribin operates with energy needs exceeding 25 gigawatt-hours annually for refrigeration. For years, a battery back-up system was considered too expensive. The April blackout catalyzed the decision to invest. The company purchased a five megawatt-hour module in June 2025 and ordered a second identical module in early June 2026.
The two installations represent a total investment of around €1.5m ($1.7m), funded partially by the European Union.
