A massive power failure affected Spain and Portugal on Monday, causing widespread disruption. The unprecedented outage left thousands stranded on trains while millions lost access to phone and internet services, causing chaos on roads and at airports.
Both countries declared a state of emergency as they struggled to manage the disruption.
According to Portugal’s Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN), the electrical supply was disrupted across the Iberian Peninsula and parts of France after midday.
‘Something that never happened before’
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that authorities continued investigating the incident hours afterwards.
The blackout occurred when there was a sudden loss of 15 gigawatts of power. “This is something that has never happened before,” Sanchez stated.
“To give you an idea, 15 gigawatts is equivalent to approximately 60 per cent of the country’s demand at that time,” Sanchez added.
‘Exceptional and extraordinary’
Sanchez confirmed that at 12.33 pm on Monday, Spain’s power grid experienced this unprecedented loss within five seconds.
Red Electrica’s operations chief Eduardo Prieto described the situation as “exceptional and extraordinary”.
The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Center confirmed no evidence of a cyberattack. Teresa Ribera, European Commission executive vice president, called it “one of the most serious episodes recorded in Europe in recent times”.
‘Disruption began at midday, outage impacted 60 million’
The disruption began at midday, affecting traffic in Madrid and Lisbon. Spanish emergency services evacuated approximately 35,000 people from over 100 trains. By 11 pm, passengers from 11 trains still awaited evacuation.
Essential services were severely affected. Hospitals relied on generators, whilst petrol stations ceased operations.
Mobile networks largely failed, though some applications worked intermittently. The outage impacted about 60 million people across the peninsula, excluding Spain’s islands and African territories.
‘Problem originated outside their country’
Following a National Security Council meeting, Sanchez announced army deployment to distribute generators to affected areas on Tuesday.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, after emergency cabinet discussions, anticipated power restoration by day’s end. Portuguese officials suggested the problem originated outside their country, according to national news agency Lusa.
“We have learnt of a general blackout in the electricity grid, which originated outside our territory, most probably in Spain,” Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said in a televised address.
Spain’s electrical network data showed a significant decline in demand from 27,500 megawatts to approximately 15,000 megawatts around 12:15 pm.
‘Airport terminals ceased operations’
Spanish airports operated on emergency power systems, causing flight delays across Aena’s 56 airports, including major hubs in Madrid and Barcelona.
In Portugal’s capital, airport terminals ceased operations, leaving tourists waiting outside. Dutch visitor Marc Brandsma told AP, “We haven’t seen any plane arriving or departing in the 50 minutes we’ve been waiting here.”
The outage affected various institutions and events, including the Spanish Parliament and Madrid Open tennis tournament.
Some citizens found alternative ways to spend time during the connectivity loss, whilst in Barcelona, crowds gathered outside non-functioning shops sharing information.
The situation caused anxiety amongst those unable to contact family members. A Barcelona shop worker, Helen Osorio, stated, “I can’t even call my boss because nothing works.”
Emergency services activated backup systems
Generator supplies were exhausted in Terrassa, an industrial centre 50 kilometres from Barcelona.
Portuguese emergency services activated backup systems, with additional police deployed to assist with increased emergency calls, particularly regarding lift entrapments.
The crisis affected various services in Portugal, including underground transport evacuations, court operations, and electronic payment systems.
Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlask announced emergency measures across several regions, including Andalusia, Extremadura, Murcia, La Rioja, and Madrid.
Portugal’s Prime Minister Luis Montenegro declared an energy emergency, stating, “We have learnt of a general blackout in the electricity grid, which originated outside our territory, most probably in Spain.”
Portuguese authorities established a crisis management centre and requested public cooperation in reducing energy consumption.
The power failure left numerous passengers stranded in metropolitan transport systems in both nations’ capitals.
Spanish governmental officials convened an emergency meeting at Moncloa to monitor developments.
‘50% of power restored to Spain’
Power was being restored to Spain through electricity drawn from Morocco and France, as acknowledged by Spain’s Prime Minister. The nation increased its hydroelectric and combined cycle thermal power production to manage the crisis.
By 11 pm, Spain had restored approximately 50% of its power supply, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez committing to full restoration by Tuesday’s end.
This incident marked Europe’s second significant power disruption following the March 20 Heathrow Airport shutdown, occurring amidst heightened vigilance against potential Russian-backed interference.
