A massive cut paralyzed daily life in Spain and Portugal for most of Monday. During the power failure, millions could not travel by train, make purchases with a card or go to work.
The cause is still unknown and, in the meantime, 99% of the electricity network has been restored.
The power outages of this magnitude, which paralyze infrastructure and telephone networks, are an exception. More recently, several Balkan states were without electricity for several hours during a heat wave last summer.
But how much Germany is well prepared to manage a similar power failure?
“The electricity network of Germany is one of the safest and most stable in the world,” according to a risk analysis on current failures published by the German government in January 2025.
“Large -scale and durable current failures only occurred, extremely rarely in Germany.”
Consequently, according to their own estimates, a scale of the scale observed in Spain and Portugal remains “unlikely”.
Since 2014, the average duration of the electrical supply has been less than 13 minutes per year, according to the Federal Statistical Office for Germany.
Nevertheless, the probability has increased in recent years, according to Andreas Kling, expert in civil protection and author of “Safe Malfy Disaster”.
This is due to the conversion of the energy systems of a centralized diet via large power plants into many photovoltaic and wind systems as well as biomass.
Geopolitical influence on security
“What definitively increases the probability of a long -scale and long -term power failure is geopolitical tensions, in particular the war in Ukraine and Russia to exert an influence, including here in central Europe, which also makes electricity an ideal target for a potential enemy,” explains Kling.
According to him, Germany in particular could be a target for a Russian destabilization campaign.
“Because of its location and the special political situation with the division to the east and the west in previous times, but of course also as an important country and authority in Europe, where very different opinions prevail with regard to the Ukrainian conflict,” said Kling.
According to Kling, the geographic location of Germany is “advantageous, because several neighboring countries can intervene to stabilize the grid”. However, breakdowns in neighboring countries could also have an impact on Germany.
However, there was no indication of a cyber attack during the massive power failure on the Iberian peninsula on Monday. The Prime Minister of Portugal, Luís Montenegro, said: “Nothing can be excluded, but nothing indicates that it was a cyber attack.”
ADVERTISEMENTIn both countries, 99% of the power supply has been restored. It was “very good crisis management,” said Kling.
“Resilience, the capacity of a system or even a community to reorganize itself after such an event and, ideally even to be better than before, must be planned at an early stage.”
How can Germany prepare for such a crisis?
In addition to precautionary measures for resilience, Kling believes that resilience is particularly important for Germany.
“Due to the expansion of communication systems and internet transition – electricity becomes more and more important in general – there is in fact a gap which must certainly be closed.”
ADVERTISEMENTTo better protect critical infrastructure, the federal office adopted the Kritis Umbrella Act last November. It has not yet been implemented. A European directive, which aims to guarantee measures of a common level of high cybersecurity, could also strengthen security at the national level.
However, Kling also calls on the public. He thinks that there has been a generalized lack of awareness of crises, wars and disasters to date.
“You just have to face the situation and think about what I do, for example, if I have to leave the house,” he told Euronews.
The EU recommends an emergency package of 72 hours
More recently, the The EU has once again ordered member states to issue guidelines for an emergency kit of 72 hours.
ADVERTISEMENTFor Kling, these recommendations are the minimum absolute standard. He continues by asking, “Do I have money with me? The money is important, does that give you the opportunity to buy something. Do I have to take important documents with me? Should I also think of my neighbors, my children, my loved ones?”
Even if you can stay at home, it is important to have a stock of basic food, for example.
The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Aid recommends at least two liters of drinking water, which, according to Kling, is too little.
“The water is much more vital than food. I don't just need water to drink, I also need to cook. You may want to wash your face after all. The toilet hunter is also a very sensitive problem,” adds Kling.
ADVERTISEMENTAccording to a Forsa survey carried out in 2022, around 38% of Germans have an emergency kit at home.
