Millions of people in Spain, Portugal and parts of southern France lost power on Monday following a “severe disruption” in the European electrical system, bringing much of the Iberian Peninsula to a halt. The outage disrupted subway and rail services, disabled phone networks, and shut down traffic signals and ATMs, affecting millions across the region. Both countries’ capitals, Madrid and Lisbon, were heavily impacted, however Spain’s Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, and the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla were not impacted.
Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE reported that the outage struck several regions just after noon, even cutting power at the national parliament and various Madrid subway stations. Data from the national electricity grid showed a dramatic demand drop around 12:15 p.m., plunging from about 27,500 megawatts to 15,000 megawatts. In Lisbon, airports faced significant delays, with many travelers stranded outside terminals in the sun, awaiting updates on their flights.
Eduardo Prieto, who leads operations at Red Eléctrica ( the corporation that operates the national electricity grid in Spain) refrained from speculating about the origins of the incident but described it as “extraordinary and exceptional.” By the afternoon, Red Eléctrica reported that electricity was gradually returning across northern, southern, and western regions.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in remarks on Monday evening that they attribute the outage to a “strong oscillation” within the European grid but noted that the exact cause was still under investigation. He urged the public to avoid jumping to conclusions, stating that no possible explanation had yet been ruled out: “We are working on knowing the origins and the reason of this incident. We are using all of our resources to solve the issue.”
Spain’s Interior Ministry has declared a state of emergency after a nationwide power blackout hit most of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal’s main grid operator REN pointed to an unusual atmospheric event in Spain caused by extreme temperature fluctuations as the likely cause, according to Reuters. Portugal’s National Cybersecurity Center also clarified that there were no signs the blackout was the result of a cyberattack.
The Madrid Open tennis tournament was disrupted as well, with three matches suspended when the power failed. Reuters also reported that parts of southern France were briefly affected. French grid operator RTE was working to help supply electricity to northern Spain.
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