Spain and Portugal have struck by sweeping the power failure, here is what we know

An unprecedented electricity failure brought a large part of Spain and Portugal on Monday, by stopping trains, cutting the telephone service and closing the traffic lights and automatic counters for millions of people in the Iberian Peninsula.

The peninsula is home to more than 50 million people across Spain and Portugal. We do not know exactly how many people have been affected because the authorities refused to share specific information.

The power outages have affected many densely populated urban areas. In Spain, the big centers like Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Avila, Murcia, Galicia, Alicante and Zaragoza were affected. In Portugal, the two largest cities, Lisbon and Porto have undergone similar challenges.

The reason behind the power failure remains unknown, but several officials have excluded sabotage. “At this stage, there is no indication of cyber attacks” wrote the president of the European Council António Costa in an article on X.

The Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica refused to speculate on the cause of the power failure which started around 12:30 p.m., Madrid time and said that the restoration of electricity may well take six to 10 hours.

The head of operations Eduardo Pieto told journalists that he was unprecedented, calling for the “exceptional and extraordinary” event.

In a late address at the shared night on social media platforms, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the power of power of the national supply had been restored, reassuring the nation that all the resources of the State are mobilized to fight against the crisis and solve the problem.

“We will work thoroughly, all night. With professionalism and commitment. As Spain still does in these situations, ”wrote Sánchez.

Meanwhile, the Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said that state representatives were still working tirelessly to restore connectivity to affected areas.

“We are in constant contact with the security forces, civil protection, armed forces, hospitals and fuel supply companies to ensure the response capacity in essential infrastructure and support for those who need it,” said Montenegro in a position on X.

Certain parts of the south of France have also been briefly affected, but the officials say that the service was quickly restored after a timely intervention.

Sánchez said that a “strong oscillation” in the European grid was at the origin of the failure, but that the cause was still determined. He asked the public to refrain from speculation and urged people to call emergency services only if it is really necessary.

It was the second serious European power outage in less than six weeks after a fire on March 20 closed Heathrow airport in the United Kingdom.

The breakdown started afternoon. The offices have closed and traffic has been hampered in large cities. In Barcelona, civilians led traffic. Train services in the two countries have stopped, leaving tens of thousands of blocked passengers.

It would not be possible to restart the trains later Monday, even if the power returned, the Spanish Minister of Transport Oscar Puente posted on social networks.

In Madrid, hundreds of people to a bus stop that takes travelers to the airport was trying to reach the hike. Some have kept improvised signs to convince drivers to take them.

Hospitals and other emergency services have gone to generators. Among the most affected, there were patients at home according to oxygen machines. Service stations have stopped working.

It was not possible to make calls or send text messages to most mobile telephony networks, although some people have managed to connect to certain messaging applications with intermittent data connections. People have looked for radios powered by battery to remain informed.

A graphic on the website of the Spanish electricity network showing demand across the country indicated a steep drop around 12:30 p.m. from 27,500 megawatts to nearly 15,000 megawatts.

Spanish airports operated on emergency electrical systems and certain flights have been delayed, according to Aena, which manages 56 airports in Spain, including Madrid and Barcelona.

In Lisbon, the terminals closed and the tourists were seated outside while waiting for news on flights.

The Spanish Parliament of Madrid has closed. The Madrid Open tennis game was suspended. Some took advantage of the lack of connectivity to enjoy the sun on the terraces, parks and restaurant beaches. The streets of Barcelona fill up with crowds of people who are unleashed in front of dark stores and exchanging information.

Sánchez summoned an extraordinary meeting of the National Security Council. Four regions of Spain declared an emergency and asked the central government of Madrid to resume the management of the crisis.

The Portuguese cabinet summoned an emergency meeting at the Prime Minister's residence. The Montenegro said that he had spoken several times in Sánchez and expected the power to be restored by the end of the day.

Lisbon said the breakdown seemed to come from problems outside the country.

Electricity was taken from Morocco and France to restore the power of southern and northern Spain, noted Sánchez, thanking their governments.

Spain also increased the production of hydroelectric and combined thermal power plants.

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