Blackout: Power outage paralyzes Spain and Portugal - Total chaos!

Massive Power Outage in Iberian Peninsula

On Monday, a massive power outage paralyzed large parts of the Iberian Peninsula. The cause was a sudden, significant drop in power supply. The trigger was apparently a crash of the network connection between Spain and France, according to the Spanish grid operator REE.

Impact of the Power Outage

The consequences of the power outage were severe. Traffic in Spain was heavily affected. People using public transportation or airplanes were unable to travel far. Police regulated traffic at some important intersections where traffic lights had failed. Many roads in Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, and other affected cities were closed. Hospitals in Spain and Portugal had to switch to generators. Supermarkets were closed, flights were canceled, and the streets were congested throughout Spain and Portugal. Tourists struggled to reach airports, and in Lisbon, two-hour bus queues formed as it became clear that power would not be restored anytime soon.

Causes of the Blackout

By late Monday, power was gradually restored in parts of the Iberian Peninsula. The Spanish Ministry of the Interior declared a national emergency and deployed 30,000 police officers across the country to maintain order as the governments of both countries held crisis meetings. Power outages of this magnitude are extremely rare in Europe, and the causes remain unclear. Portugal suspected a source in Spain, while Spain pointed to a disruption in the connection to France. The Spanish grid operator REE blamed a connection error with France for triggering the subsequent effects. Rumors of possible sabotage acts circulated, and the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he had spoken with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Technicians were working to determine the cause of this sudden collapse.