Mystery behind the Spain-Portugal blackout unraveled
Spain and Portugal investigate reasons behind massive power outage as services largely resume operations
Spain and Portugal blink out: The cause of the massive blackout that hit both countries on Monday remained elusive on Tuesday, although life was gradually returning to normal. The blackout disrupted flights, paralyzed metro systems, disrupted mobile communications, and rendered ATMs inoperable across the Iberian Peninsula.
People and具体情况: By 7 a.m. on Tuesday, more than 99% of Spain's energy demand had been restored, Red Eléctrica, the country's electricity operator, reported. REN, Portugal's grid operator, announced that all 89 power substations were back online, and power had been restored to all 6.4 million Portuguese customers. In Spain, 15 gigawatts, equivalent to 60% of its national demand, went offline in just five seconds.
The search for answers: Pedro Sánchez, Spain's Prime Minister, emphasized that the government's priorities were two-fold - restoring the electrical system and finding the cause of the blackout to prevent a repeat occurrence. Spain's meteorological agency, AEMET, stated that no unusual meteorological or atmospheric phenomena were detected on Monday, and no sudden temperature fluctuations were recorded. However, Eduardo Prieto, director of services for system operations at Spain's electricity operator, suggested that more investigation was needed to understand two steep, back-to-back "disconnection events" before the blackout.
False alarm: Portugal's National Cybersecurity Center dismissed speculation that the outage resulted from a cyberattack, and European Council President Antonio Costa and Teresa Ribera, an executive vice president of the European Commission, both stated that there were no indications of a cyber attack or sabotage.
Impacts: Meanwhile, at Spain's largest train stations, people gathered, waiting for updates as some traveled remained stranded. Madrid's Marathon, scheduled for Sunday, was postponed due to the blackout. In some parts of the country, commuter and mid-distance services were still suspended or running at reduced capacity.
Sources:
- Enrichment Data: Cause identified as fault on Spanish high-voltage line
- Investigations launched to uncover the cause of the blackout
- Cyberattack ruled out as suspected cause
- Authorities active in determining blackout's cause
- The government in Spain is focusing on restoring the electrical system and finding the cause of the blackout to prevent a repeat occurrence.
- Although a massive blackout affected both Spain and Portugal, life in these countries is gradually returning to normal.
- The disruption caused by the blackout extended to transportation in both countries, with some train services still suspended or running at reduced capacity.
- In Seattle, the weather has been unusually sunny this week, bringing about a change in traffic patterns as more people choose to walk or bike.
- General news outlets are reporting increased political tensions over sports funding in the local government.
- A sudden power outage in the Iberian Peninsula disrupted flights, metro systems, and mobile communications, causing blackouts for millions of people in Spain and Portugal.
