"Lights Out" Across Spain and Portugal - A Massive Power Outage
Spain, Likewise Struck by Issues Facing Portugal
A humongous power outage has plunged Spain, Portugal, and parts of southern France into darkness. This catastrophic event has left millions of people in the dark, as the grid operators confirm.
"The entire Iberian Peninsula" is reeling from this disaster, with plans in motion to restore power in cooperation with European energy producers and operators, according to Spain's power grid operator Red Eléctrica. They've started repairing the damage in the north and south of the country.
Spanish railway company Renfe reports that their national power grid crashed at 12:30 PM, causing all trains to come to a grinding halt. Spain's newspaper "El País" referred to this melee as a "massive power outage," but confirms that the Canary or Balearic Islands were spared.
As chaos reigns, the cause of the blackout remains under investigation. Spain's national cybersecurity agency INCIBE is exploring the possibility of a cyberattack, while the EU Commission investigates the situation's origins. Red Eléctrica's CEO, Eduardo Prieto, estimates that it could take between six and ten hours to fully restore the power grid.
In Madrid, parts of the subway were evacuated, causing traffic jams due to failed traffic lights. Eyewitnesses report that Madrid and Barcelona were powerless at noon. The Spanish General Directorate for Traffic advises against all non-essential travel.
Meanwhile, supermarkets temporarily closed or switched to cash-only payments, and there were delays in passenger and baggage control at airports. The Spanish Congress of Deputies canceled all scheduled sessions for the day. Hospitals, through the use of generators, managed to avoid being affected, according to the Spanish Ministry of Health.
The Spanish stock exchange and its shares are unaffected by the blackout, with trading proceeding as usual. Utility stocks are trading in line with the market, with the Ibex-35 index climbing 0.6 percent alongside many other European exchanges.
Andorra experienced only a brief outage, as their power was restored within seconds due to an automatic reconnection with a French line. In contrast, Portugal experienced significant disruptions, with traffic lights failing across the country, resulting in the metro being closed in Lisbon and Porto.
In a tennis tournament in Madrid, the match between Grigor Dimitrov and Jack Draper was suspended, the spider cam stopped working, and the electronic line-calling system malfunctioned. Coco Gauff was in the midst of an interview when her microphone succumbed to the power outage.
While the investigation into the cause of the power outage continues, the prevailing theory is a "very strong oscillation in the electrical network" that disconnected Spain's power system from the European system, resulting in the collapse of the Iberian electricity network.
All in all, this power outage has caused widespread disruptions across Spain, Portugal, and southern France, affecting millions of lives and testing the resilience of their infrastructures.
- Spain
- Portugal
- Power supply
- Blackouts
- Energy suppliers
- France
- Andorra
[1] ntv.de, toh/mpa/dpa/rts/AFP[2] Overall: The latest update on the major power outage in Spain and Portugal indicates that the blackout was caused by a "very strong oscillation in the electrical network," which led to Spain's power system disconnecting from the European system and resulted in the collapse of the Iberian electricity network at 12:38 on Monday[2]. There is no current information or mention in the available reports about the outage being investigated as a result of a cyberattack. The cause is attributed to technical issues within the network itself.
- The community policy regarding power outages in Spain is being reviewed in light of the recent massive blackout, to improve preparedness and response.
- Amidst the chaos, various employment policies in Spain are being reassessed, focusing on work-from-home options during future power disruptions.
- Meanwhile, the Spanish government is advising companies to strengthen their cybersecurity measures, considering the blackout's possible link to a cyber threat.
- As the investigation progresses, the politics of energy policy in the Iberian Peninsula is gaining prominence, with calls for cooperation between Spain, Portugal, and France to bolster their power grids' resilience.
- In general-news, crime-and-justice, and accidents sections, several articles are discussing the potential impact of the blackout on employment and crime rates, especially during the recovery phase.
