Mobile networks were down, and people in Madrid and Barcelona were observed on the streets holding smartphones up, trying to reconnect to a network. A massive power blackout hit Spain, Portugal, and parts of southern France on Monday, impacting millions, with the cause not immediately known.
Eduardo Prieto, head of operations at Spain’s grid operator Red Eléctrica de España (REE), stated in a news conference that restoring power to the Spanish electric grid could take between six and ten hours.
Local reports indicated that the outage disrupted traffic lights, airports, and the Madrid underground. Spanish grid operator Red Electrica is collaborating with energy companies to restore power. Public transport, traffic lights, and phone services were mostly down in parts of Madrid, Barcelona, and Lisbon, with trains largely halted.
Both the government and Red Electrica are investigating the cause of the blackout, while utilities have activated backup plans.
Photos from Spain’s El Pais newspaper showed halted metro trains in Madrid, police managing traffic, and reporters working by flashlight in a darkened office.
In France, the grid operator Réseau de Transport d’Électricité (RTE) informed Reuters that there was a short power outage, but the electricity has since been restored. It is currently investigating the cause.
What do we know so far about the Spain outage?
Spain’s railway operator told AFP that the power cut caused trains to be halted across the entire country, while the airports operator Aena mentioned that “several incidents” occurred at Spanish airports.
The Madrid Open saw its matches suspended on Monday after the widespread power outage hit the Spanish capital. This forced 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov and his British opponent Jacob Fearnley off the court, as scoreboards went dark and overhead cameras lost power.
Mobile phone networks were down, and AFP reporters in Madrid and Barcelona noted that many people took to the streets, holding their smartphones up in an attempt to reconnect to a network. With the internet inaccessible, many people turned to the radio for news updates on the situation.
Numerous traffic lights stopped working, prompting vehicles to slow down to avoid accidents. Meanwhile, metros and trains were stopped, and Spain’s national road authority DGT urged drivers to refrain from using the roads.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was on his way to the headquarters of Red Electrica, the state electricity network operator, to receive an update on the emergency, according to his office.
Red Electrica of Spain confirmed it had started restoring power in the northern and southern regions of the country, though the issue had not yet been fully resolved. “We are continuing to work to bring back power,” it stated.
Spanish radio stations reported that part of the Madrid underground was being evacuated. Cader Ser Radio noted traffic jams in the city centre as traffic lights stopped working.
Hundreds of people gathered outside office buildings in Madrid, while a strong police presence was seen around key locations, directing traffic and driving through central areas with lights, according to a Reuters witness.
Power outage in Portugal
Portugal’s REN operator informed that the entire Iberian Peninsula, along with parts of France, was affected by the blackout, which occurred at 11:33 am (1033 GMT).
In Portugal, with a population of about 10.6 million, the outage impacted the capital, Lisbon, its surrounding areas, and regions in both the north and south of the country.
A source from Portugal’s TAP Air told that Lisbon airport was operating on backup generators, while AENA, which oversees 46 airports in Spain, reported nationwide flight delays.
Portugal’s government stated that the issue seemed to originate from outside the country, according to an official speaking to national news agency Lusa. “It looks like it was a problem with the distribution network, apparently in Spain. It’s still being ascertained,” said Cabinet Minister Leitão Amaro.
Portuguese distributor E-Redes attributed the outage to “a problem with the European electricity system,” Portuguese newspaper Expresso reported. The company added that it had to cut power in specific areas to stabilise the network.
