A widespread power outage plunged Spain and Portugal into chaos on Monday, affecting transportation, hospitals, and daily life. Power services began to return late in the day.
Both nations declared states of emergency due to the outage, with Spain’s Interior Ministry mobilising 30,000 police officers to maintain order. Such extensive outages are rare in Europe.
The root cause of the blackout remains uncertain. Portugal suggested the issue originated in Spain, while Spain attributed it to a disruption in its connection with France.
According to a Reuters report, Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro stated there was ‘no indication’ of a cyberattack, despite circulating rumours of potential sabotage. Portuguese grid operator REN is collaborating with Spain to determine the cause.
In Spain, power restoration efforts began in areas such as the Basque Country, Barcelona, and parts of Madrid. By late Monday, about 61% of electricity had been restored, the news agency reported quoting the national grid operator.
In Portugal, power was gradually returning to areas including Lisbon’s city centre. REN reported that 85 out of 89 power substations were operational again.
The blackout had widespread impacts. Hospitals in Madrid and Catalonia halted routine operations but continued critical care using backup generators. Retailers like Lidl and IKEA closed, while Spanish oil refineries shut down. In Portugal, traffic lights and metro services in Lisbon and Porto were disrupted, and train services were cancelled in both countries.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reported that 35,000 train passengers were evacuated, though 11 trains remained stranded in remote locations. Supermarkets in Madrid saw long queues and empty shelves, and the Madrid Open tennis tournament was suspended. The Bank of Spain indicated that electronic banking was functioning on backup systems, despite reports of blank ATM screens.
Traffic congestion in Madrid worsened as traffic lights failed, with citizens directing vehicles at intersections. Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida advised residents to stay home due to incomplete street lighting restoration.
Internet traffic also plummeted significantly in both countries.
Power outages of this magnitude are infrequent in Europe, with notable past occurrences in 2003 and 2006. Spain‘s energy mix includes 43% from wind and solar, 20% from nuclear, and 23% from fossil fuels, the news agency added citing energy think tank Ember.
