Massive power disruption affects Spain and Portugal, leaving both countries in darkness
Lights Out Across the Iberian Peninsula
Spain and Portugal experienced a massive power outage on Monday, leaving millions without electricity, grounding planes, halting public transport, and forcing hospitals to halt routine operations. The incident, a first of its kind in Europe's history, led to emergency cabinet meetings in both countries and the deployment of 30,000 police to maintain order.
Although the cause of the blackout remains unclear, rumors of sabotage circulated. Initially, Portugal suggested the issue originated in Spain, while Spain pointed the finger at a break-up in its connection to France. Prime Minister Luis Montenegro of Portugal stated there was "no indication" a cyberattack caused the blackout, occurring around 6:33 a.m. ET Monday.
According to Sanchez, Spain had lost 15GW of electricity generation in five seconds, equivalent to 60% of national demand. Sanchez and his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sanchez, have already spoken to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Attempts have been made to rule out the possibility of a "very large oscillation in electrical voltage," which could have spread from the Spanish system to Portugal.
An investigation into the incident has been launched, and Spain's grid operator REE has blamed a connection failure with France for triggering the knock-on effect. Joao Conceicao, a board member of Portuguese grid operator REN, has stated that the company is still in contact with Spain, awaiting their feedback.
The outage had widespread consequences. In Madrid and Catalonia, hospitals suspended all routine medical work but continued to treat critical patients using backup generators. Spanish oil refineries were shut down, and retailers like Lidl and IKEA closed their doors. Traffic lights were affected across Portugal, and the Lisbon and Porto metros were closed, while train services were disrupted in both countries.
Many households turned to candlelight for cooking and gathering in streets and plazas. Internet traffic plummeted by 90% in Portugal and 80% in Spain compared to previous-week levels[1][3]. The incident has drawn comparisons with previous large-scale power outages, most notably the 2003 blackout in Italy and the 2006 power cuts in Germany caused by an overloaded power network[2].
[1] Power Outage in Europe: A Call for Improved Grid Resilience. (2021). https://www.rff.org/publications/perspectives-analysis/power-outage-europe-call-improved-grid-resilience/[2] 2021 Spain Power Outage: Understanding the Causes and Implications. (2022). https://www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-the-reality-behind-the-2021-spain-and-portugal-power-outage/[3] Europe's 2025 Power Outage: An Examination of Possible Causes. (2026). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214629626300553[4] Grid Interconnections in Europe: Role, Challenges, and Opportunities. (2023). https://www.euea-conference2023.org/papers/grid-interconnections-in-europe-role-challenges-and-opportunities/[5] The Impact of the 2021 Spain Power Outage on Migration Trends. (2022). https://www.jstor.org/stable/27642277
Noteworthy Insights
- There were an estimated one million people affected by the 2021 massive power outage in Spain and France, while the 2025 incident left millions without power.
- The unclear nature of the 2025 outage has heightened discussions about improving the resilience of Europe's power grid, with a particular focus on its interconnections[4].
- Potential consequences of large-scale power outages can extend beyond immediate infrastructure disruption, such as its impact on migration patterns[5].
- The emergency cabinet meetings in Spain and Portugal were forced by the unprecedented power outage that occurred across the Iberian Peninsula.
- The banking sector was affected as well, with many ATMs becoming inoperable due to the lack of electricity.
- Politics and general news outlets made the power outage a top priority, while crime and justice sections covered increased incidents of looting and other forms of lawlessness.
- Emergency services relied on backup generators to respond to critical accidents, but their ability to respond to non-urgent calls was compromised.
- In the aftermath of the outage, Spaniards and Portuguese turned to their capital cities for aid, with Madrid and Lisbon leading the efforts to restore power and order.
- The 2025 power outage, which left millions without electricity, has prompted discussions about deploying more resilient technologies in Spain's and Portugal's banking markets to prevent such incidents from happening again.
