On Monday, a massive power blackout swept across Spain and Portugal, plunging cities into chaos, disrupting public transport, jamming roads, and delaying airline flights, while authorities raced to restore the grid and determine the cause.
Spain’s Prime Minister’s office confirmed that the government was working urgently "to identify the origin" of the blackout. According to Eduardo Prieto, head of operations at Spain’s grid operator Red Eléctrica (REE), restoring full power could take between six and ten hours. At the time of the first reports, authorities had not ruled out a cyberattack, and investigations were ongoing. Spain formed a crisis committee to manage the response, and both Spain and Portugal convened emergency cabinet meetings to address the situation. The blackout also briefly impacted parts of France.
In Portugal, grid operator REN confirmed the extensive electricity cut across the Iberian Peninsula, noting that part of France was also affected. REN said it was in constant contact with emergency authorities, and that the causes were still under assessment. Meanwhile, Spanish grid operator REE said it was working closely with regional energy companies to stabilize the grid.
The blackout caused major disruptions. In Spain, metro services were interrupted in cities like Madrid, where portions of the underground network had to be evacuated. Traffic lights stopped functioning across major urban centers, causing severe traffic jams, especially in Madrid’s city center. Spanish radio stations reported that people were trapped in metro cars and elevators. Hundreds of office workers spilled onto the streets of Madrid, while a heavy police presence was seen near key buildings to help manage traffic and public safety.
Airports were also affected. Spanish airport operator AENA reported delays at multiple airports across the country, while Portugal’s TAP airline said Lisbon airport was operating on backup generators. Play at the Madrid Open tennis tournament had to be suspended, with matches like Grigor Dimitrov vs Jacob Fearnley interrupted as scoreboards and overhead equipment lost power.
In Portugal, the Lisbon and Porto metro systems were completely shut down, with reports of passengers stranded inside trains. Police confirmed traffic lights were out across the country, while trains ceased operations.
In France, the national grid operator RTE reported a brief outage, but power was quickly restored. RTE stated that it was investigating the source of the disturbance.
The exact cause of the blackout remained unclear hours after the incident began. Both cyberattack and grid failure theories were being explored, but no official cause had yet been identified.
