Widespread power outage disrupts Spain and Portugal, leaving millions in the dark

A significant power outage has struck Spain and Portugal, bringing major cities to a standstill and causing widespread disruption on Monday. Public transport systems faltered, and essential services such as phone networks, traffic lights, and ATMs were rendered inoperative, affecting millions.

The blackout, an unusual occurrence for the Iberian Peninsula, has left an estimated 60 million people without electricity, with reports of limited impact also emerging from southern France. According to the BBC, restoring power in Portugal could take up to a week. Portugal's power firm, REN (Rede Eléctrica Nacional), indicated that the complexity of the situation and the need to realign electricity flows internationally would hinder a swift recovery.

Initial investigations suggest the outage was triggered by a fault in Spain’s electricity grid, which REN attributed to a "rare atmospheric phenomenon," though specifics remain unclear.

In response to the crisis, Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, visited Red Eléctrica, the national electricity operator, to oversee restoration efforts. Meanwhile, the Portuguese cabinet convened an emergency meeting to address the situation.

Transport chaos ensued as metro services in Madrid, Lisbon, and Barcelona came to a halt, leading to the evacuation of passengers from stations. The blackout caused traffic congestion, particularly in Madrid, where the city’s mayor advised residents to avoid non-essential travel. Spain's traffic department issued alerts for cautious driving, while in Portugal, additional police were deployed to manage the chaos.

At major airports, including Madrid-Barajas and Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado, flights faced delays and cancellations. Rail services were suspended across Spain, leaving many travelers stranded. “I was driving and suddenly there were no traffic lights,” recounted Madrid resident Luis Ibáñez Jiménez. “It was a bit of a jungle.”

Red Eléctrica reported a dramatic drop in electricity demand, plummeting from 27,500 megawatts to nearly 15,000 megawatts around 12:15 p.m. local time. The outage stemmed from an issue in the European electricity system, affecting multiple regions.

The blackout reached critical facilities, including the national parliament in Madrid and major newsrooms, prompting hospitals to switch to backup generators to maintain emergency services. In Lisbon, court operations were suspended, and electronic payment systems failed, forcing shops to revert to cash transactions.

As recovery efforts commenced, Red Eléctrica announced that power was being restored to parts of northern and southern Spain by late afternoon. However, they cautioned that full restoration could take between six to ten hours, and some areas might experience outages into the night.

Portugal’s National Institute for Medical Emergencies activated contingency plans in response to the crisis, while Spain’s emergency services urged the public to remain calm. Investigations into the precise causes of the outage are ongoing, with early indications pointing to a distribution network failure likely originating in Spain.