Spain and Portugal have resumed electricity service after a widespread power outage that lasted for several hours. On April 28, a sudden power outage in Spain and Portugal disrupted transportation systems in both countries. Metro and rail services were suspended. Traffic lights stopped working, leading to increased congestion and road closures. Airports in Lisbon, Porto, and Faro in Portugal were operating on emergency generators. Many flights experienced delays in landing and takeoff. Phone and internet services were also affected.
Additionally, hospitals in both countries were performing critical surgeries for severely ill patients using backup generators for power supply. Many people were trapped in elevators and metro systems due to the sudden power outage. Both countries were plunged into darkness, with millions of people spending the entire night in blackout conditions. However, electricity service has now been restored to 99% of the affected areas in Portugal and Spain. Despite the power restoration, many people are still stranded at metro and rail stations as metro services have not fully resumed.
The cause of the power outage has not been officially disclosed by any agency. Some authorities have speculated that it could be due to a natural occurrence caused by a sudden change in temperature. There have also been discussions about the possibility of a cyber attack. However, experts say that the outage was not caused by a cyber attack or weather-related issues.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro stated that the power outage originated in Spain. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that all possible causes of the outage are being investigated. He urged the public not to jump to conclusions, warning that doing so could lead to the spread of misinformation. Sanchez mentioned that 15 gigawatts of power, equivalent to 60% of Spain’s electricity consumption, was lost within a matter of seconds during the incident.
Red Electrica, which operates Spain’s power grid, described the incident that led to the widespread outage as unusual. A director of the company said that the outage was caused by a problem with Spain’s power grid in France. However, the exact nature of the problem remains unclear. This is the second time in recent months that a major power system in the country has failed. In March, London’s Heathrow Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world, had to be shut down due to a power outage, disrupting air travel worldwide.
This latest incident has raised questions about the reliability of power grids that rely on renewable energy sources. Spain heavily depends on solar and wind energy.
