Widespread Power Outage Strikes Spain and Portugal
POWER BLACKOUT ACROSS SPAIN AND PORTUGAL: WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?
Madrid - Enveloped in darkness, Spain and Portugal plunged into chaos on Monday as a massive power outage crippled cellphone, internet networks, halted trains, and trapped people in elevators. The Spanish government was left scrambling to identify the source of the issue, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez rushing to the headquarters of the state electricity network operator.
Spain's electrical grid operator, Red Electrica, stated that it would likely take six to 10 hours to restore power in the country. Officials urged the public to refrain from speculation regarding the cause of the blackout.
Images flooded social media, depicting metro stations immersed in shadows, trains at a standstill, and folks huddled in offices and hallways, utilizing their phone lights to navigate the darkness. Motorists were advised to pull over, as stoplights had gone out, compelling vehicles to slow down to prevent collisions, and police officers to guide traffic at intersections.
Spurred by the lack of connectivity, folks poured onto the streets of Madrid and Barcelona, arms extended, phones aloft, attempting to reestablish a network connection. Some were even reported to be stuck in lifts.
The internet activity monitoring site, Netblocks, declared that the blackout resulted in a "loss of much of the country's digital infrastructure." Web connections plummeted to a staggering 17% of their normal usage.
The outage didn't stop at Spain and Portugal. Portugal's electrical grid operator, REN, indicated that the entire Iberian Peninsula was affected. An incident of brief darkness was also reported in southwest France, but power was swiftly restored.
"An electrical incident is currently affecting Spain and Portugal. The cause of which remains to be determined," stated France's high-voltage grid operator, RTE. The European Commission maintained contact with Spain and Portugal to determine the source of the outage.
Railway operator Adif announced that the power cut arrested trains across the entire country, while airport operator Aena confirmed flight delays. However, Spain's airports managed to stay operational due to "contingency electricity systems".
Spain's Red Electrica claimed that they had initiated restoring power in the north and south of the country, but the problem was yet to be resolved. "We are continuing to work to bring back power," Red Electrica declared.
Spain's El Pais newspaper posted photos on its website of halted metro trains in Madrid, police directing traffic, and the paper's own reporters working in a dimly lit office by the light of their torches. El Pais also reported that hospitals' critical departments could maintain functionality due to backup generators, while non-essential units were left powerless.
Huge power outages have besieged other countries in recent years. The Notable examples being Tunisia in September 2023, Sri Lanka in August 2020, Argentina and Uruguay in June 2019, and India in July 2012. In November 2006, Europe experienced a widespread blackout, leaving approximately 10 million people without power for an hour in France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain, due to a failure in Germany's grid.
The 2025 blackout, specifically, was attributed to anomalies in the electrical grid. Portugal's electrical grid operator reported a fault in Spain's electrical grid. The incident was caused by extreme temperature fluctuations in Spain that led to unusual oscillations in high-voltage lines (400 kilovolts), producing a phenomenon known as induced atmospheric vibration. These oscillations resulted in synchronization failures between the electrical systems, catalyzing disturbances across the interconnected European network.
- The blackout in Spain and Portugal, as revealed by Portugal's electrical grid operator, REN, affected the entire Iberian Peninsula.
- In the wake of the power outage, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was urgently dispatched to the headquarters of the state electricity network operator.
- Amidst the chaos, Spain's Red Electrica announced that they had initiated restoring power in the north and south of the country, but the issue was yet to be fully resolved.
- The blackout's effects were felt beyond Spain and Portugal, as an incident of brief darkness was reported in southwest France, echoing similar power outages in countries like Tunisia, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Uruguay, India, and Europe in the past.
