On Monday, a significant blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a complete standstill, impacting over 50 million residents across the Iberian Peninsula. The outage caused widespread disruptions, halting subway trains, severing phone services, and shutting down traffic lights and ATMs.
Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica has reported that restoring power to various regions of both Spain and neighboring Portugal could take between 6 to 10 hours. While the company refrained from speculating on the causes of this extensive blackout, it acknowledged the situation as "unprecedented," with Eduardo Prieto, head of operations at Red Eléctrica, describing it as “exceptional and extraordinary.”
The blackout affected major cities, including Madrid and Lisbon. Many offices were forced to close, and traffic snarled as traffic lights ceased to function. Although some mobile phone networks were down, a few applications remained operational. The exact number of people impacted by the blackout remains unclear, but it is rare for such a widespread outage to occur across the Iberian Peninsula.
While the exact cause of the blackout is still under investigation, officials in Portugal indicated that the issue likely originated from the electricity distribution network in Spain. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez convened an extraordinary meeting of Spain’s National Security Council and visited Red Eléctrica to monitor restoration efforts. Meanwhile, the Portuguese Cabinet held an emergency meeting at the Prime Minister’s residence to address the crisis.
According to a Cabinet Minister, Leitão Amaro, the outage appeared to be linked to problems outside of Portugal. Reports from the Portuguese distributor E-Redes indicated that the blackout was due to "a problem with the European electricity system," compelling them to cut power in specific areas to stabilize the network.
The incident began just after midday local time, with Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE noting a significant drop in electricity demand from 27,500MW to near 15,000MW. Spanish airports switched to backup electrical systems, leading to flight delays, while travelers in Lisbon faced terminal closures and uncertainty about their flights.
Train services across both Spain and Portugal came to a halt, with visuals on Spanish television showcasing evacuations from metro stations in Madrid and halted trains in Barcelona. The power outage even affected the Madrid Open tennis tournament, leading to the suspension of matches.
In light of the blackout, Spain’s traffic department urged citizens to avoid using their cars due to inoperative traffic lights and electronic road signage. Streets in Barcelona became crowded with pedestrians as people sought information and alternatives for transportation. Concerns arose regarding which phone companies still provided coverage and how individuals could navigate their way home amid the subway shutdown and overcrowded public buses.
In Terrassa, an industrial town near Barcelona, local stores selling generators quickly ran out of stock as residents lined up to purchase them. The situation was similarly dire in Portugal, where the blackout affected Lisbon and surrounding areas, as well as northern and southern regions. Portuguese police increased their presence to manage traffic and assist those in distress, including individuals trapped in elevators.
Hospitals and other emergency services in Portugal switched to generator power to maintain operations, while gas stations ceased functioning. The National Authority for Emergencies and Civil Protection in Portugal confirmed that backup power systems were in place, although several Lisbon subway cars were evacuated due to the outage.
With courts halting operations and ATMs along with electronic payment systems affected, the ramifications of this blackout are extensive. Both countries are actively working to restore normalcy as investigations into the causes of this massive outage continue.
As updates unfold, residents and travelers alike remain hopeful for swift restoration of services and clarity on the factors that led to this significant disruption.
