On Monday, a massive and unprecedented power outage swept across Spain, Portugal, and parts of southern France, plunging tens of millions into darkness and disrupting critical infrastructure. The blackout began around 12:30 p.m. local time (CEST), affecting major cities including Madrid, Lisbon, Barcelona, and Seville, as well as regions in southwestern France .
Widespread Disruptions
The outage halted metro systems in Madrid and Lisbon, stranded passengers on high-speed trains, and caused significant delays at airports such as Madrid-Barajas and Lisbon-Portela. Traffic lights failed, leading to gridlock, while mobile networks and card payment systems went offline. Hospitals operated on backup generators, but some surgeries were postponed, and emergency services were stretched thin .
In Barcelona, residents directed traffic manually, and shops selling generators quickly sold out. The Madrid Open tennis tournament was suspended mid-match, and amusement parks like PortAventura World partially closed .
Investigating the Cause
While the exact cause remains under investigation, Portugal’s grid operator REN suggested that “anomalous oscillations” in high-voltage lines, triggered by extreme temperature variations, led to synchronization failures across the interconnected European electricity network . However, this explanation has been met with skepticism, and Spain’s cybersecurity agency is exploring the possibility of a cyberattack .
A reported fire in southern France between Perpignan and Narbonne was initially considered a potential cause, but France’s Réseau de Transport d’Électricité (RTE) stated that no fires were detected in the area .
Recovery Efforts
Spain’s Red Eléctrica and Portugal’s REN have initiated complex “black start” procedures to gradually restore power, prioritizing emergency services. By late afternoon, voltage was progressively being restored in various regions, but full stabilization of the grid could take several days due to the complexity of the disturbance .
The Iberian Peninsula’s limited 6% power interconnection with the rest of Europe has hampered recovery efforts, highlighting the vulnerability of aging and inadequately interconnected energy grids .
Government Response
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Council and visited Red Eléctrica to monitor the situation. Similarly, the Portuguese government held an emergency Cabinet meeting to coordinate their response .
Authorities have urged residents to minimize travel and only use emergency services when absolutely necessary. As power is gradually restored, experts warn that full normalization of the grid could take several days. Investigations into the root cause of the outage continue, with officials refraining from speculation.
This blackout is considered one of the most severe in recent European history, comparable only to Italy’s 2003 outage .