Montenegro expresses optimism for a swift resolution today.

Update: Major Blackout Hits Portugal, Luís Montenegro Urgently Appeals for Citizen's Cooperation

In the wake of a hastily summoned Council of Ministers meeting, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro begs the Portuguese public to stay cool-headed and demonstrates optimism that the crisis will be resolved today.

"Restoring power access for our people is our top priority," Montenegro declared at the meeting's close. He implores the citizens not to give in to panic, acknowledging that while this wreckage always stirs anxiety, a sense of tranquility and unity can prevail.

"It's best not to unnecessarily ramp up energy consumption and focus on addressing the more urgent issues at hand," Montenegro reiterated.

Beaming with hope, the Prime Minister mentions his belief that resuming power supply might be achievable today, though clarifying that specifics about the timeline and how this can be attained aren't readily available. Montenegro suggests revitalizing two Portuguese dams, Castelo de Bode and Tapada do Outeiro, could potentially reignite the entire electricity production system of Portugal.

Regarding the root cause of the outage, Montenegro chooses to focus on people's immediate needs. However, he confirms that the Internal Security System's crisis cell is active, and all information concerning the incident is being meticulously gathered by information services.

According to experts, this gigantic blackout might be linked to broader instability in the Iberian grid and the electricity infrastructure of southwestern Europe[1]. Potential suspects include a high-voltage line inferno in France's Alaric mountain region, as well as systemic weaknesses in interlinked grid structures[1]. Although Portuguese authorities have yet to pinpoint the exact culprit, they haven't ruled out the possibility of a cyberattack. Nonetheless, the National Cybersecurity Centre maintains that there is currently no evidence substantiating this theory[1].

In an effort to restore power and prevent subsequent disasters, experts emphasize addressing the issues rooted in interconnected grid dependencies, where one single fault or imbalance can wreak havoc across multiple regions[1].

Also Read: Energy Restoration Expected to Take Hours, EDP Warns

The Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, expressed hope that French and Portuguese dams, Castelo de Bode and Tapada do Outeiro, could boost Portugal's electricity production and restore power supply swiftly.
Realizing the essential role of international cooperation, Montenegro encourages Portuguese citizens to remain vigilant about unnecessary energy consumption, given the challenges in power distribution that span multiple countries.
As per the latest general-news reports, the root cause of the recent blackout might involve a high-voltage line fire in France and instability in broader Iberian and southwestern European energy grids.
In light of the ongoing crisis, Montenegro has reluctantly shifted focus from the political arena to the people's immediate needs, while the Internal Security System's crisis cell continues to gather information on the incident's origin.