Power has nearly been restored in Spain and Portugal after a massive blackout caused chaos across the Iberian Peninsula. The outage, one of the worst in Europe’s history, disrupted flights, halted metro systems, and left many without access to cash as ATMs shut down.
By Tuesday morning, the situation was improving. Spain’s electricity operator, Red Eléctrica, reported that over 99% of energy demand had been restored. In Portugal, all 89 power substations were back online, bringing electricity back to 6.4 million customers. Schools and offices reopened, traffic flowed more smoothly, and public transport began to resume operations after significant delays.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez addressed the nation, explaining that the power grid lost 15 gigawatts of electricity in just five seconds, which is about 60% of the country’s total demand. He noted that such a total collapse of the system had never happened before. Investigations into the cause of the blackout were ongoing, but officials have not provided new insights.
The blackout’s scale is unprecedented in both Spain and Portugal. Spain’s meteorological agency reported no unusual weather conditions at the time of the outage, indicating that external factors like storms or temperature spikes were not to blame.
Concerns about a cyber attack were dismissed by Portugal’s National Cybersecurity Center, which found no evidence of foul play. European Council President Antonio Costa also confirmed there were no indications of a cyber threat. Teresa Ribera, a vice president of the European Commission, ruled out sabotage, stating that this incident is one of the most serious electrical failures recorded in Europe recently.
The impact of the blackout was felt heavily in transportation. Many travelers were stranded at major train stations, with hundreds waiting for updates at Atocha station in Madrid. Some had to spend the night there, wrapped in blankets provided by the Red Cross. Similar scenes unfolded at Barcelona’s Sants station.
Emergency services reported rescuing around 35,000 passengers who were stuck on trains or in subways. The situation was chaotic, with travelers describing their experiences as overwhelming. One commuter, Rubén Carión, had to break a train window to escape and then spent the night at Atocha station, opting to stay there for updates on train schedules instead of booking a hotel.
The Madrid Open tennis tournament, which was scheduled for this week, faced delays due to the power outage, further adding to the disruptions.
While Madrid’s metro system was fully operational by late morning, some commuter trains in Barcelona remained suspended due to electrical instability. Overall, while life is slowly returning to normal, the cause of this major blackout continues to be a mystery for authorities in both countries.