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BARCELONA, Spain — A massive power outage plunged parts of Spain, Portugal,
and southern France into darkness on Monday, disrupting daily life for tens of
millions of people. While electricity has been partially restored, the cause of the
unprecedented blackout remains unclear, leaving authorities scrambling for
answers.
An Unprecedented Collapse
The sweeping blackout began at midday local time, cutting power to major cities,
including Madrid, Lisbon, and Barcelona, as well as regions across southern France.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the outage as an "exceptional
and extraordinary" event, noting that Spain had never experienced a nationwide
blackout of this scale before.
At a press conference Monday evening, Sánchez revealed that within seconds,
Spain’s power grid lost 15 gigawatts—equivalent to 60% of the country’s electricity
demand. Despite ongoing investigations, officials have yet to determine the root
cause.
European Council President António Costa, former prime minister of Portugal,
stated on X (formerly Twitter) that there was no immediate evidence of a
cyberattack, but authorities have not ruled out any possibilities.
Progress in Restoring Power
By Monday night, Sánchez confirmed that nearly half of Spain’s power supply had
been restored, with improvements seen in almost every region. Key areas,
including Madrid, Murcia, and Catalonia (home to Barcelona), regained electricity,
according to Spain’s power distributor Red Eléctrica.
Portugal’s grid operator REN reported that 750,000 customers had power again by
late Monday, though the capital, Lisbon, remained in the dark with restoration
expected soon.
Sánchez thanked France and Morocco for their assistance in supplying emergency
electricity to affected areas. However, he cautioned that it was still unclear how
long full recovery would take.
Transport Chaos and Stranded Passengers
The blackout brought public transportation to a standstill, with subways, trains, and
buses halted across Spain and Portugal. Spain’s transport minister, Óscar Puente,
said emergency crews worked to evacuate 35,000 passengers from 116 stranded
trains, though some remained stuck late into the night.
At Madrid’s Barajas Airport, desperate travelers held up makeshift signs, trying to
hitchhike after bus services failed to arrive.
“I’ve been here for almost three hours trying to get to the airport because my
family arrived today, and I can’t even call them,” said Jessica Fernández, one of
many stranded commuters.
Airports in Lisbon, Madrid, and Barcelona experienced delays and cancellations,
though backup generators kept most operational, according to Aena, Spain’s
airport authority.
Daily Life Disrupted
The outage left millions without phone service, internet, or access to ATMs, forcing
some to rely on battery-powered radios for updates. Hospitals, prisons, and
nuclear plants remained operational on backup power, but gas stations, traffic
lights, and businesses shut down.
In Barcelona, residents like Ivette Corona expressed frustration: “I don’t know how
I’m going to get home.”
Following an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, Prime Minister
Sánchez announced that the army would be deployed on Tuesday to distribute
generators and other essential supplies to the most severely affected areas. The
Portuguese Cabinet also convened an emergency meeting at the prime minister's
residence. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro communicated with
Sánchez multiple times and expressed hope that power would be fully restored by
the end of the day. The Portuguese government indicated that preliminary
information suggested the outage originated from a problem outside of Portugal.
Prime Minister Sánchez acknowledged the crucial support being provided by
Morocco and France in supplying electricity to restore power in both southern and
northern Spain. Additionally, Spain was increasing power generation from its
hydroelectric and combined cycle thermal power plants in an effort to expedite the
recovery process. As investigations continue into the unprecedented power failure
, the focus remains on fully restoring essential services and understanding the root
cause of this widespread disruption.
What’s Next?
Spain’s government convened an emergency National Security Council meeting,
with plans to deploy military generators to the hardest-hit areas on Tuesday.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro assured citizens that power would be
fully restored soon, though officials suggested the issue may have originated
outside Portugal.
As investigators work to pinpoint the cause, one thing is clear: this unprecedented
blackout has exposed vulnerabilities in the Iberian Peninsula’s power grid, raising
urgent questions about future safeguards.
