Massive Power Outage in Spain: Portugal and France Also Affected
Update: After the massive power outage in Spain, the supply has been restored in parts of the country. As the grid operator Red Eléctrica announced on Monday, the power supply has been restored in "several areas in the north, south, and west" of the country. Households in these areas can be supplied again. Work is being done to restore power across the country.
Throughout Spain and Portugal as well as in southwestern France, power went out on Monday afternoon for reasons that are still unclear. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez convened a crisis meeting of the government in Madrid. The population was urged to stay in place to avoid traffic chaos. Rail traffic was temporarily paralyzed across the country.
The supply has now been secured in several areas in the north, south, and west of the peninsula, reported the Spanish grid operator Red Eléctrica. Regions such as Catalonia, Aragon, the Basque Country, Galicia, Asturias, Navarra, and Castile are reportedly supplied again.
Millions of people are affected, the grid operators reported. The cause was initially unclear. In Spain, the power outage completely paralyzed rail traffic: A blackout led to "the interruption of rail traffic across the entire network," the Spanish rail network operator Adif announced on the online service X. According to the grid operator Red Eléctrica, the restoration of power supply can take six to ten hours.
Throughout Spain and Portugal as well as in southwestern France, power went out on Monday afternoon for reasons that are still unclear. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez convened a crisis meeting of the government in Madrid. The population was urged to stay in place to avoid traffic chaos. Medium and long-distance trains continued not to run. "A resumption of medium and long-distance traffic is currently not foreseeable," Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente announced on X. Travelers must forgo their journeys for the time being.
Red Eléctrica advised against speculating about the cause of the power outage. There are currently no indications of a cyberattack, explained the EU Council President from Portugal, António Costa, on the online service X.
Power Outage in Spain, Portugal, and France
The Spanish grid operator Red Eléctrica also reported on X that it had succeeded in restoring power supply in the north and south of the country. "We are activating" the "plans to restore power supply in collaboration with the companies in the sector" after the "system failure of the peninsula," explained Red Eléctrica. The restoration of supply could take between six and ten hours, said the head of the maintenance department of Red Eléctrica, Eduardo Prieto, to the radio station Cadena Ser. Prieto advised against speculating about the cause of the power outage.
The Portuguese grid operator REN stated that "the entire Iberian Peninsula" was affected as well as part of France. In Portugal, the power supply has been interrupted since 11:33 AM (local time, 12:33 PM CEST). "All plans to restore energy supply have been activated - in collaboration with European energy producers and operators," added REN.
In the center of the Spanish capital, traffic came to a standstill in parts, as it was further reported. There were long traffic jams because traffic lights had failed. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez went to the headquarters of Red Electrica to get an overview of the situation. The Spanish power grid monitoring company E-Redes also stated that they are working to gradually restore the connection. "This is a larger European problem," it was further stated.
The Portuguese police stated that traffic lights were affected throughout the country. In Lisbon and Porto, the subway was closed. Trains were no longer running. There was initially no information on the background of the power outage.
Hacker Attack Not Ruled Out
Further information on the extent of the power outage and its cause was initially not available. Spain's national cybersecurity agency INCIBE is investigating whether a hacker attack could be behind the power outage, wrote "El País".
In the small state of Andorra, located in the Pyrenees, the power outage lasted only a few seconds, reported the energy supplier FEDA on X. The outage was caused on the Spanish side, and electricity was immediately restored thanks to the "automatic reconnection with the line coming from France".
The EU Commission is in contact with national authorities due to the widespread power outage. "The Commission will continue to monitor the situation and ensure that smooth information exchange takes place between all parties involved," the authority in Brussels stated.
Austria Not Affected
The domestic power grid operator Austrian Power Grid (APG) confirmed upon APA request, "that there was a technical incident on the Iberian Peninsula today, April 28, 2025, around 12:31 PM, which apparently resulted in widespread power outages in the region." "The Austrian power supply is and was not affected by the incident at any time," it was emphasized.
Currently, work is being done to fully restore power supply in the affected areas. The investigation of the incident will be coordinated by the European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSOE). Furthermore, APG has no further information on the cause or extent, as it was stated.
Power Outage: Ferry and Train Traffic Interrupted Across Spain
The power outage on the Iberian Peninsula has brought train and ferry traffic to a standstill across Spain. The respective operators in the popular holiday destination announced this on Monday. The cause of the power outage, which affected not only Spain and Portugal but also parts of France, was initially unclear according to the network operators.
The cause is still being investigated, explained the Spanish network operator Red Eléctrica, which also reported the massive power outage, on the online service X. The Spanish power grid operator Red Electrica stated that it is working with energy companies to restore the power supply. Parts of the subway in Madrid have been evacuated, radio stations reported.
Both Madrid and Barcelona were without electricity on Monday afternoon. Across the country, the operation of infrastructure and mobile networks as well as traffic were affected, wrote the newspaper "El País": Traffic lights and elevators at train stations, airports, and other buildings failed. People had to be rescued from subway tunnels and elevators. Hospitals were not affected thanks to the use of generators, according to Spain's Ministry of Health.
Most shops and restaurants in Premià de Mar near Barcelona and other places in Spain were closed. Especially shops with perishable goods and ice cream parlors were eagerly awaiting the restoration of the power supply. "We can hold out for a few more hours, then the ice will melt," said a saleswoman in Premià de Mar.
The word "Luz," Spanish for electricity, is part of almost every conversation among people on the street. Neighbors shout the latest news and rumors to each other from balcony to balcony.
"And how am I supposed to cook now," asks a housewife in Premià de Mar. Although she and her husband have solar panels on the roof, they are of no use to them because the system only works when the grid is operational. A neighbor invited everyone to cook at her place - on her gas stove.
Due to the power outage, the Masters 1000 tennis tournament in Madrid had to be interrupted.
The blackout on the mainland. According to reports, the island groups belonging to the country, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, were not affected.
The power outage in Portugal was caused by the disruption in the Spanish power grid, which was attributed to a "rare atmospheric phenomenon," reported the Portuguese broadcaster RTP and the British broadcaster Sky News, among others, citing the Portuguese power grid operator REN. The operation will be gradually restored, with the safety and stability of the grid taking priority. The complete normalization of the grid could take up to a week "due to the complexity of the phenomenon."
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.
