Spain and Portugal were hit by a large blackout on Monday (28), interrupting daily activities in both countries, with companies closing, as well as trains, subway and flights
And they were hit by a large blackout on Monday (28), interrupting daily activities in both countries, with companies closing, as well as trains, subway and flights. Authorities did not report what caused the power outage, which affected tens of millions of people in the Iberian Peninsula, but several have already ruled out cyber crimes as a cause. “At this time, there is no evidence of any cybers,” wrote António Costa, president of the European Council, in a publication in X.
I am in touch with and about the widespread power outages in Spain and Portugal today.
Grid operators in both countries are working on finding the cause, and on restoring the electricity supply.
At this point, there are no indications of any…
– António Costa (@eucopresident)
The Portuguese energy authorities stated that the drop occurred after an interruption in the European power grid, but did not provide details. After an account that an unpeasted “atmospheric phenomenon” would have caused the interruption, Ren, a Portuguese supplier of electricity and gas, vehemently denied that it was reason. “This news is false,” said Bruno Silva, spokesman for Ren. “It’s giving us a very, very big headache.”
The Spanish Energy Distributor Red Electrical did not want to speculate about the cause and stated that the total restoration of energy could take six to 10 hours. The head of operations, Eduardo Prieto, said the event was unprecedented, calling him “exceptional and extraordinary.”
The Spanish Prime Minister, said that a “strong oscillation” in the European power grid was the cause of the interruption, but that the cause is still being determined. He asked the population to refrain from speculation and asked them to call emergency services only if necessary.
The Portugal National Cybersecurity Center said in a statement that there was no evidence that the interruption of energy was caused by a cyber attack.
Blackout extension
The widespread cut of energy hit the entire Iberian Peninsula, which houses almost 60 million people, but it was not yet possible to know how many millions have actually been impacted. The interruption also briefly affected France. RTE, the French operator of the power grid, said in a statement that some residences in the Basque region of the country were without electricity for a brief period, but that “all the energy has already been restored.” The Canary Islands, the Balear Islands and the Territories of Ceuta and Melilla, located in Africa, across the Mediterranean, were not affected.
The interruption began at noon local time. Offices closed and traffic was congested in Madrid and Lisbon, while some civilians in Barcelona controlled traffic. Train services in both countries have been interrupted. It will not be possible to resume the circulation of trains this Monday, even with the return of electricity, published the Minister of Transport of Spain, Oscar Puente, on social networks.
Hospitals and other emergency services entered into crisis management mode and started using generators. Gasoline stations stopped working. It was not possible to make calls on some mobile operators, although some apps worked. People were looking for battery -powered radios.
Spanish airports were operating with reserve electrical systems and some flights were late, according to Aen, which manages 56 airports in Spain, including Madrid and Barcelona.
In Lisbon, the terminals closed and the tourists were sitting outside waiting for news about the flights. The Spanish Parliament in Madrid closed. Madrid’s open tennis tournament matches were suspended. In Terrassa, an industrial city 50 kilometers from Barcelona, the stores that sold generators were out of stock.
In Portugal, a country with about 10.6 million inhabitants, police placed more agents on duty to deal with increased requests for help, including people arrested in elevators. Several people were taken from wagons from the Lisbon subway, according to reports. Courts interrupted their activities and ATMs and electronic payment systems were affected.
Actions of the authorities
The Spanish Prime Minister summoned an extraordinary meeting of the National Security Council. The Portuguese Council of Ministers summoned an emergency meeting at the Prime Minister’s residence. In a public pronouncement, Sánchez asked people to avoid traveling, use cell phones only for short calls, avoid overloading emergency services, and trust exclusively on official information.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said he had talked several times with Sánchez and expected the electricity to be restored by the end of the day. The Portugal government said the interruption seems to have been caused by problems outside the country, an authority told Lusa national news agency.
Electricity was being cut from Morocco and France to restore energy supply to the south and northern Spain, the Spanish Prime Minister said, thanking his governments. Spain was also increasing the production of combined cycle hydroelectric and thermoelectric plants.
Eduardo Prieto, Director of Operations Services at Red Electric, said in a statement that 35% of the service had already been restored, but hours are still missing hours for the total restoration of the supply.
*With information from Estadão Content
Posted by Nátaly Tenório
