A massive power outage hit large areas of Spain and Portugal on Monday, causing widespread disruption. Traffic jams formed, flights were canceled, and people were trapped in elevators. The blackout affected millions of homes and businesses, prompting both governments to hold emergency meetings, according to Reuters.
Such a large-scale power failure is very rare in Europe. Officials have not ruled out the possibility of a cyberattack, although the exact cause remains unknown.
While power was restored after several hours in Spain’s Basque Country and Barcelona, it may take longer for full normalization. Hospitals in Madrid and Catalonia are operating only essential services using emergency generators. Several oil refineries and retail businesses have been shut down. The Bank of Spain reported that electronic banking is functioning adequately on backup systems.
José María Espejo, a 40-year-old engineer in Barcelona, said, “I was working at a data center when suddenly everything went dark. Now we are running generators and trying to find the cause.”
Madrid’s mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, advised residents to avoid unnecessary travel through a video message.
In Portugal, water supply company EPL warned of possible disruptions. Meanwhile, long queues formed outside shops as people rushed to buy essential supplies.
Some parts of Madrid’s metro were evacuated, and traffic congestion worsened due to non-functioning traffic lights. In Lisbon and Porto, metro services were suspended and train operations halted. Flights were delayed at 46 Spanish airports.
The Madrid Open tennis tournament was suspended, with the match between Grigor Dimitrov and British player Jacob Fearnley stopped due to scoreboards and cameras shutting down.
Power authorities in Spain and Portugal stated that it could take several hours to a full day to fully restore the system.
Such widespread blackouts are rare in Europe. In 2003, a hydroelectric line issue between Italy and Switzerland caused Italy to remain in darkness for almost 12 hours. In 2006, overloading of Germany’s power network led to blackouts in France, Italy, Spain, and other countries.