Planes grounded and schools closed: country in the dark

Planes and trains are grounded, traffic lights are out, schools and shopping malls are closing. The power outage is affecting the entire mainland and a number of services are being affected. The authorities are appealing to people to remain calm and avoid travelling if possible.

The Government has set up a crisis office headed by the Minister of the Presidency. António Leitão Amaro assured that “the Government has been monitoring” the situation “from the very beginning” among itself and with the authorities and companies of the main essential public services. “This is a phenomenon at European level, it did not originate in Portugal, the actual cause is still being assessed”, he explained, stressing that “there is still no confirmation” as to whether it could have been a cyberattack.

Leitão Amaro explained that hospitals are using the generators that are available. The Hospitals of Santa Maria, the largest in the country, and Viseu also told Observador the same. The Hospital of Évora said that it had no internal communications and that the emergency plan had been activated. Some hospitals are canceling non-urgent appointments and exams to focus on critical and urgent services and care.

Vaccines transferred and planes on the ground

Due to the blackout, vaccines are being transferred from health centers to hospitals, as some facilities did not have generators: “There are health centers with generators and others that do not,” a source from the Ministry of Health told Observador. “The ULS are activating contingency plans and there are cases where vaccines are being transferred to hospitals.” An official source from INEM assured that services are operating normally and that there are no constraints between data, telephones and SIRESP.

Regarding airports, Leitão Amaro highlighted that “there are no flights taking off” and “there may have been some disruption in communications with planes”, prioritizing safe landings. ANA has already announced that it has activated emergency generators and that Lisbon airport is currently the one with the most limitations. ANAC has asked passengers not to go to the airports.

The rail and road traffic control centres are functioning, an official source from Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP) told Observador. The only trains that continue to run are those powered by diesel, says the same source.

Passengers evacuated from Lisbon Metro tunnels and stopped trains

Due to the CP strike, there were no trains running. The Fertagus trains, which operate between Setúbal and Lisbon, are stopped at the station, with no trains stopped on the track. In a post on its Facebook page, Fertagus informs that “due to a lack of voltage in the catenary, the trains are stopped until further notice”.

The Lisbon Metro service was also suspended, with several stations closed during the late morning. Several people were even trapped inside Lisbon Metro trains.

Queues are visible at bus stations in several parts of the city, but Carris, the company that provides public surface transport services for passengers in the municipality of Lisbon, has also had communication problems since the blackout.

Rails with communication problems. Unstable mobile network

An employee of the company, managed by the capital's city council, told Lusa that since the power outage, "it has been very difficult to establish contact", noting that the company "sometimes communicates via WhatsApp, but today it has not issued any alert". The Carris employee also revealed that traffic control "has no communication", which is why buses are still running, given the difficulty in contacting drivers, while trams are already stopped.

Nos, Vodafone and Meo have confirmed instability in connections. In statements to Observador, they explain that they “immediately” activated contingency plans and that their technical teams are monitoring the situation to ensure “stability of services during this phase and also in the recovery process.”

EPAL admits interruptions in water supply

EPAL says that “Monday’s incident in the European electricity grid could lead to interruptions in the water supply”. A statement states that “every step is being taken to minimize the impacts that may occur from this situation, with regard to the water supply”: “We call for the conscious use of water”.

The Public Security Police (PSP) has asked that people avoid “unnecessary travel” given that the blackout could lead to “traffic lights failing and public lighting failing”. On social media, the PSP has asked that people follow the guidelines, reduce their speed and “pay extra attention”.

Several gas stations are restricting their supply following the power failure, according to their managers who confirmed to Lusa. Tanker trucks also do not have the capacity to supply the stations, given that the “terminals are not operational”, said the secretary general of the Portuguese Fuel and Lubricant Companies (EPCOL), António Comprido.

Shopping centers, such as Colombo, have closed their doors

There are also shopping centres closing, such as Colombo, one of the largest shopping centres in the capital. The Portuguese Association of Distribution Companies (APED), which represents supermarket companies, told Observador that some shops are closing “for reasons of worker and customer safety and food safety”, even though many shops have generators.

Gonçalo Lobo Xavier, leader of APED, said that this is an “extreme situation” and that it was decided to take this option initially. “As the situation develops” measures will be assessed. He added that the situation is being experienced differently depending on the region of the country.

Schools are also sending students home, as was the case at Liceu Pedro Nunes and the Vergílio Ferreira group. Higher education institutions are also suspending classes and activities.

Schools closed, universities with minimal services

According to the president of the Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities (CRUP), institutions are “moving to minimum energy services”, after a power outage affected several cities from north to south of the country this Monday at 11:30 am. In response to Lusa, Paulo Jorge Ferreira, who is also the rector of the University of Aveiro, said that the focus is on “cybersecurity and physical security”, noting that there are electric doors in the facilities. The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation reported that it does not yet have an assessment of the situation in schools, and is still gathering information.

The PSP announced that it is deploying more police officers on the streets to help people, particularly with traffic, due to the power outage in mainland Portugal. The spokesperson for the Public Security Police told Lusa that the police officers are helping people in traffic, since due to the general power outage, traffic lights may stop working.

Police officers are also providing support on the Lisbon Metro, particularly at station exits, as well as at intersections on Avenida da Liberdade and near the headquarters of the Criminal Investigation Police. The PSP was also called to help, together with firefighters, some people who were trapped in elevators.

The Ministry of Justice said that generators are working in Portuguese prisons. If necessary, a squad from the Prison Intervention and Security Group (GISP) is on standby to intervene.