Power supply has been restored, but authorities still have more questions than answers.
After a large-scale power outage in Spain and Portugal, electricity has been reinstated. However, disruptions in transportation and other sectors will persist for several more days. Both countries remain in a state of emergency.
What Happened
On April 28, electricity was cut off across the entire Iberian Peninsula and in some regions of France. Due to the power disruptions, businesses halted operations, elevators stopped working, traffic lights shut down, and chaos ensued on roads and in airports.
The cause of the failure remains unknown—experts say it may take weeks to investigate the collapse. According to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the country lost 15 gigawatts of electricity in just five seconds—approximately 60% of its total demand. Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro stated that the cause of the blackout is still unclear but blamed Spain for the incident.
The consequences of the outage were catastrophic. Transportation hubs were paralyzed, and the governments of both countries—home to around 60 million people combined—hurriedly organized emergency meetings to coordinate actions. Dozens of major cities on the Iberian Peninsula were left without power, including Madrid, Lisbon, Barcelona, Seville, and Valencia.
Daily life was disrupted: cash replaced bank cards, police used hand gestures to direct traffic, and restaurants, supermarkets, and stores closed. People rushed to stock up on essentials and canned goods.
Travelers were hit the hardest. Flights at major regional airports were suddenly delayed or canceled, leaving tourists in dire conditions. At Lisbon Airport, hundreds stood in the dark in lines without air conditioning or water. Trains in Spain also stopped running. Rail services have only just begun to resume, and the effects of the massive number of canceled flights may linger throughout the week.
By the morning of April 29, Spain’s grid operator reported that power had been restored to 99% of the country. Portugal also regained electricity.
Causes of the Collapse
Authorities in both countries are now being pressed for explanations about one of the largest power outages in the planet’s history, but no answers have been provided yet. Reports indicate that identifying the root cause of the failure could take months. However, there are several theories.
Portuguese company REN stated that a rare atmospheric phenomenon caused a severe temperature imbalance, leading to the mass outages. “Due to extreme temperature fluctuations in Spain’s inland regions, abnormal oscillations known as ‘atmospherically induced vibrations’ were observed in ultra-high-voltage power lines. These fluctuations caused synchronization failures between electrical systems, triggering cascading disruptions in the interconnected European grid,” the company explained.
A cyberattack has also been suggested as a possible cause. However, European Council President António Costa stated there is no evidence of a cyberattack, reports The Guardian.
