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A massive power outage swept across parts of Spain and Portugal on Monday, grounding flights, halting public transportation, and disrupting daily life for millions.
The blackout began around 10:33 GMT, leading to emergency government meetings as authorities scrambled to restore electricity. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez urged residents to follow official updates, noting no immediate security threats. Power was gradually returning to areas like Barcelona and the Basque Country by early afternoon, though full restoration remained uncertain.
Hospitals in Madrid and Catalonia operated on backup generators, while major retailers including Lidl and IKEA closed locations. Spanish oil refineries were also forced offline. Banking services largely remained functional, though some ATMs failed.
In Madrid, traffic lights went dark, causing massive jams as police manually directed traffic. Subway lines were evacuated, and travelers faced delays at Atocha railway station and airports. Madrid’s mayor urged residents to limit travel to ease emergency operations.
Portugal also faced widespread disruption. Subway systems in Lisbon and Porto shut down, and water supplier EPAL warned of possible service interruptions. Energy provider EDP could not predict when power would return to normal. France’s grid operator, RTE, dispatched electricity to northern Spain to help stabilize the network after brief outages in southern France.
Such extensive blackouts are rare in Europe. Authorities are investigating the cause of the outage. According to energy think tank Ember, Spain’s power mix includes 43% wind and solar, 20% nuclear, and 23% fossil fuels.
Recovery efforts remained underway late Monday.
With information from Reuters.
