Coping with the April 28th 2025 National Power Outage, with Nuno Brôco, CEO Águas do Tejo Atlântico

In this episode of the Exec Exchange podcast, host Piers Clark welcomes back Nuno Brôco, Managing Director for Águas do Tejo Atlântico, to discuss the massive power outage on April 28, 2025. The outage affected all of Portugal and parts of Spain, resulting in eight deaths and 25 injuries, and raising critical questions on emergency response for water utilities. Nuno shares his experience managing the crisis, including the success of their biogas-powered sewage treatment plants, the challenges faced due to communication blackouts, and the vital lessons learned. Key recommendations for improving resilience and emergency preparedness for similar events are also discussed.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:21 Revisiting the Power Outage Incident
01:38 Initial Reactions and Miscommunications
03:16 Operational Challenges and Solutions
05:56 Lessons Learned and Future Preparations
07:42 Conclusion and Final Thoughts