Widespread Power Outage Disrupts Daily Life Across Spain and Portugal

A massive power outage struck Spain and Portugal, leaving millions without electricity and causing widespread disruption to transport and emergency services. Authorities are investigating the cause, which does not appear to be a cyberattack.

A massive power outage hit significant portions of Spain and Portugal on Monday, resulting in chaos and disruption across both nations. Millions of residents experienced blackouts, leaving homes, shops, and restaurants in darkness. Essential services such as internet and phone networks were severely affected. Trains faced cancellations, and some were evacuated as traffic signals ceased functioning, leading to heavy delays at airports.

The outage began around midday (13:00 BST) and rapidly escalated in scale. With the situation developing, officials warned Madrid residents to remain where they were, advising against unnecessary travel and limiting the use of emergency services to serious situations only. A representative from Spain's electricity network indicated that restoring power might take up to 10 hours, while Portugal’s provider REN suggested that full restoration could potentially extend to a week.

Authorities had to maintain order as the blackout impacted public transport, leading to long queues at cash machines due to card payment failures, with some petrol stations shutting down operations. Reports surfaced that hospitals in Spain activated emergency protocols by suspending routine services, and by early evening, residents in some locales began reporting restoration of electricity.

The cause of the power outage remains indeterminate, with officials emphasizing that there is "no indication" of a cyber attack, according to Portugal's Prime Minister Luis Montenegro. The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, echoed this sentiment. Panic initially swept through Madrid, prompting officials to urge citizens to stay off roadways whenever possible. Madrid's mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, advised the public to keep emergency calls limited to true emergencies and seek help at police or fire stations if needed.

The power situation has led to automatic shutdowns in nuclear facilities, and the Spanish oil company Moeve halted operations at its refineries. Flight schedules were disrupted significantly, with many experiencing delays and cancellations, particularly at Lisbon and Madrid airports, with low-cost airline EasyJet indicating the situation was still developing. Many businesses saw intense impact; some retail outlets, like IKEA, resorted to backup generators and restricted customer access. Furthermore, the Madrid Open Tennis tournament was called off for the day. While Andorra and parts of France also experienced outages, the Balearic and Canary Islands remained unaffected.