Millions Affected as Major Outage Disrupts Iberian Peninsula
A massive power outage hit Spain and Portugal on Monday around 12.30 pm, cutting electricity to cities like Madrid and Lisbon.
The blackout disrupted transport, communications, internet, and hospitals, while shops, ATMs, and traffic lights stopped working.
Spain’s interior ministry declared a national emergency as both governments launched investigations.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said 15 gigawatts of power disappeared in five seconds, and over 60 percent of power was restored by evening.
“We still don’t know the cause,” Sanchez said, adding, “We’re not ruling anything out,” and urged people to avoid speculation.
Figure 1: Regions affected by power outage
Authorities Urge Calm, Rule Out Cyberattack
Portugal’s Prime Minister Luis Montenegro stated that power would be fully restored “within hours” and added that essential state services continued functioning despite severe disruption, while he said there was “no indication” of a cyberattack behind the outage.
Portugal’s grid operator REN blamed the event on a fault in the Spanish grid and cited a “rare atmospheric phenomenon” that caused “anomalous oscillations” in high-voltage lines, noting that extreme temperature variations in Spain likely triggered the issue and warning the situation could take up to a week to stabilise completely.
France Briefly Impacted as Grid Ripple Effect Hits Neighbours
France also experienced a brief power loss due to the Iberian grid disruption, confirmed French grid operator RTE, as Spain and Portugal’s grids remain highly integrated and connected to Europe through a few interlinks with France.
European Commission officials contacted both governments while European Council President Antonio Costa wrote on X that no cyberattack was detected, reinforcing earlier statements from the Portuguese and Spanish authorities.
Figure 2: A view shows a transmission tower during a power outage near Barcelona in Spain
Transport Systems Collapse Across Major Cities
The blackout caused widespread chaos in urban transport systems across Spain and Portugal, as Madrid’s metro was forced to evacuate passengers, and traffic lights shut down, overwhelming local police directing traffic, while Barcelona’s metro and tram services stopped, and Metrovalencia confirmed a general citywide outage.
Figure 3: Traffic lights have stopped working following a power outage in downtown Lisbon, Portugal
In Madrid, emergency services carried out 286 rescue operations to free people trapped in lifts and trains halted across the country, with the transport minister confirming 11 trains remained stalled late Monday and railway stations in nine cities, including Madrid and Seville, stayed open overnight to shelter stranded passengers.
Airports, Flights and Tournaments Affected
Airport operator Aena reported disruptions at multiple Spanish airports, stating, “Contingency generators are active,” and advising, “Check with your airline as there may be disruptions,” while the Madrid Open tennis tournament halted after scoreboards and court cameras failed, forcing Jacob Fearnley’s match with Grigor Dimitrov to stop during a key moment.
Organisers later cancelled all Monday sessions of the tournament, citing power-related issues that prevented resumption of matches scheduled for the afternoon and evening.
Figure 4: People queue for a taxi at Barajas Airport in Madrid, Spain
Tourists and Locals Left Stranded Without Communication
British traveller Maddie Sephton was on the Madrid Metro when the power failed, saying, “We got on the train and everything was fine,” and adding, “But then everything went dark,” as she waited 20 minutes before a staff member manually opened the train doors.
Sephton, who was heading to the airport, had to carry her luggage up 15 flights of stairs, explaining, “No lifts are operating,” and noting, “It’s difficult for elderly people with limited mobility,” while she said people were “just standing around and waiting” with no access to cash or internet, bars unable to process card payments, and ATMs offline.
With only €15 in hand, Sephton said she couldn’t withdraw more money and shared that a couple offered her a shared taxi ride to the airport as her 3 pm flight approached, while theirs was later.
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Power Failure Hits Medical Services and Nuclear Plants
Madrid and Catalonia hospitals suspended non-urgent procedures and treated critical patients using backup generators, as Spain’s nuclear plants shut down automatically as a safety measure, with the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council reporting that diesel generators kept facilities in a “safe condition”.
Figure 5: Medical staff relocate a patient in Pamplona
Internet Usage Falls to 17 Percent
Internet monitor Netblocks reported a dramatic drop in web connectivity and stated that Spain’s internet usage fell to only 17 percent of normal traffic levels, while El País reported that some hospital units operated without power despite emergency systems in place.
Public Expresses Confusion and Frustration
Barcelona resident Elizabeth Lip posted on TikTok describing the situation as “crazy” and saying, “It feels like the apocalypse and COVID times,” while she added, “There’s no traffic lights working … It’s crazy,” as confusion filled the streets.
Madrid construction worker Carlos Candori said he had no mobile coverage and stated, “I can’t call my family, my parents, nothing,” adding, “I can’t even go to work,” while student Laia Montserrat said her school dismissed students when the internet failed, and she added, “They told us to go home,” noting, “But there weren’t trains either.”
Spain’s Prime Minister warned the outage had caused “serious disruption” and “economic losses in businesses, in companies, in industries,” as authorities continued working to restore full power across the affected regions.
