Massive Power Outage Is Causing Havoc in Portugal and Spain

On Monday, power outages across the Iberian Peninsula, including huge swathes of Portugal, Spain, and small parts of France, took out entire subway networks, traffic lights, and more. With tens of millions of people left in the dark, officials estimate that it may take up to ten hours to restore service.

The outage, which began Monday morning, is mostly concentrated in Portugal and Spain. Data from Spain shows that around 12:15 p.m. local time, electricity demands shot down from 27,500 megawatts to 15,000 megawatts. Affected areas include both countries’ respective capitals, Lisbon and Madrid, along with other major cities like Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, and their surrounding areas. In France, electricity only went out in some areas of the south-west but was reportedly quickly restored.

Portugal and Spain, which have a combined population of over 50 million, have a highly connected power grid operated by Redes Energéticas Nacionais and Red Electrica, respectively. Although the exact cause of the outage hasn’t been confirmed, Politico reported that Eduardo Prieto, director of Red Eléctrica, blamed a “very strong oscillation in the electrical network”. Per Sky News, REN stated that “rare atmospheric phenomena” caused the issues.

Both countries experienced significant impacts from the outage, including airport travel, ATMs, electric cars, fuel pumps, internet or mobile coverage, and, in some areas, access to water. Additionally, subway services in major cities like Lisbon and Madrid were shut down. On social media, videos show that the Madrid Open shut down after fans were left in the dark, and in Bilbao, several people were seen walking on cable car tracks after it was shut down. Sky News also reported that some supermarkets are seeing shortages as people rush to purchase supplies like water. One resident in Castellon told the outlet, “We have a newborn baby, no electric and no water. It’s chaos out the window. Car crashes due to no traffic lights, and people are stuck in lifts in the apartment building.”

Chaos at the Madrid Open with a complete power loss 😅 pic.twitter.com/LYnzLzyLWC

— Connor Joyce (@connorjoyceb) April 28, 2025

Gente bajando a pie del funicular de Artxanda en Bilbao#apagon pic.twitter.com/PthoY01CNq

— Javi Regalado (@djobi71) April 28, 2025

In an update, Red Electrica reported that it is coordinating with local authorities to address the problem. Politico also reported that Spain called for an emergency meeting of the National Security Council to look into the situation. However, European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera told the outlet, “At the moment, there is nothing that allows us to say that there is any kind of sabotage or cyberattack.”

Overall, power outages like this are not at all common in Europe. According to Reuters, one of the last of this magnitude occurred way back in 2003 after a hydroelectric power line between Italy and Switzerland triggered a twelve-hour outage in the Italian peninsula. On X, Ukraine’s Minister of Energy, German Galushchenko, offered his country’s assistance, writing, “We are ready to share the knowledge and experience, including those gained during the systematic russian attacks on the energy infrastructure.”

Per Red Electrica’s update, power has returned to parts of the north, south, and west of the peninsula. However, it could take up to a week for the network to be fully repaired.