Majority of Spain and Portugal regains electricity following large-scale power outage.
Power Outage in Spain and Portugal: What's the Deal?
Spain and Portugal experienced a major power outage on the 28th and 29th of April, 2025, leaving millions in the dark. At the time of this writing, the cause of this blackout remains unexplored territory.
With more than 90% of mainland Spain out of power, cities like Madrid and Lisbon looked like ghost towns, as lights refused to flicker back on. Portugal's capital also felt the brunt of the darkness. Yet, despite wild rumors circulating on messaging networks about cyberattacks, concrete evidence pointing to a specific culprit is lacking.
In the absence of definitive answers, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez did offer some insights - approximately 15 gigawatts of electricity, over half of the power being consumed at the time, "suddenly disappeared" in just five seconds[1]. In terms of recovery, Sanchez couldn't provide a timeframe for restoring power across Spain completely, while stating that some workers would need to work remotely on the first day following the outage[1]. Portugal, on the other hand, was anticipated to have power back "within hours"[1].
The blackout rippled briefly into southwest France, causing disruptions to internet providers and airport check-in systems. Morocco also saw the impact, with internet services affected[1]. People were left stunned, with one construction worker in Madrid commenting, "This has never happened in Spain"[1].
As the darkness enveloped the cities, panicked citizens stormed banks to withdraw cash, with streets overflowing with folks desperately seeking a phone signal. Long lines formed for taxis and buses, and with traffic lights kaput, police struggled to keep traffic flowing smoothly. In Madrid alone, 286 people were rescued from lifts[1]. Trains across the country were halted, with three trains still stranded as of Tuesday morning[1]. Some railway stations stayed open all night for passengers facing long waits[1].
Spain's nuclear power plants shut down automatically as a safety precaution, but emergency diesel generators kept them in a "safe condition"[1]. Sanchez underlined the blackout caused "serious disruption" for millions and incurred "economic losses in businesses, in companies, in industries." The European Commission reached out to both countries in an attempt to support them through the crisis[1].
It's worth noting that similar large-scale power outages have occurred in other parts of the world over the past few years. In Europe, roughly 10 million people lost power for an hour in 2006, as a result of a failure in Germany's grid[3].
The dark veil lifted for around 6.2 million households in Portugal overnight, though the complete picture of what transpired during those harrowing hours remains shrouded[1]. The authorities are busy sifting through clues and theories, but for now, they implore the public to stay informed and vigilant, lest the misinformation monster complicate the situation further[1].
[1] The Washington Post[2] CNN International[3] European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E)
- The blackout in Spain and Portugal, which occurred on the 28th and 29th of April, 2025, also caused disruptions in internet providers and airport check-in systems in southwest France.
- Despite some initial rumors of cyberattacks, a specific culprit for the power outage in Spain and Portugal remains unidentified, leaving the cause unexplored.
- In response to the power outage, the Spanish operator Pedro Sanchez stated that some workers would need to work remotely on the first day following the outage, while the restoration of power across Spain is still uncertain.
- The power outage in Spain and Portugal has been compared to a large-scale power outage that occurred in Europe in 2006, when approximately 10 million people lost power for an hour due to a failure in Germany's grid.
