On April 28, 2025, a massive power outage swept across Spain, Portugal, and parts of southern France, plunging over 50 million people into darkness and disrupting daily life across the Iberian Peninsula. The blackout began around 12:30 p.m. local time (CEST), causing widespread failures in transportation, healthcare, communications, and public services.
In Spain, the outage halted subway systems in Madrid and Barcelona, grounded flights, and disabled traffic lights, leading to significant traffic congestion. Hospitals operated on backup generators, and surgeries were postponed. The Madrid Open tennis tournament was interrupted, with scoreboards and lighting systems failing mid-match. Government buildings, including Spain’s Parliament, were also affected, and citizens were urged to limit cellphone use to conserve network capacity.
Portugal experienced similar disruptions, with power cuts reported from Lisbon to Porto. Public transportation came to a standstill, and businesses were forced to close temporarily. The Portuguese grid operator, REN, described the event as a “massive cut” in electrical supply, noting that emergency protocols were activated to prevent a total blackout. In southern France, particularly in the Pyrénées-Orientales region, parts of the transmission system were disconnected, contributing to the broader outage.
The exact cause of the outage remains under investigation. Initial reports from Portugal’s REN suggested that “anomalous oscillations” in very high-voltage lines, possibly triggered by extreme temperature variations in Spain, led to the disruption. Speculation also arose about the possibility of a cyberattack. Spain’s cybersecurity agency, INCIBE, is investigating this angle, although no concrete evidence has been found to support this theory.
Adding to the confusion, France’s Réseau de Transport d’Électricité (RTE) reported no fires in the area between Perpignan and Narbonne, contradicting earlier suggestions that a fire might have damaged power lines. By late afternoon, efforts to restore power were underway. Spain’s electricity grid operator, Red Eléctrica, reported that some power had been restored across parts of Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Andalusia by 5:30 p.m. Approximately two hours later, more than a fifth of the peninsula’s power had been recovered. Full restoration was expected to take up to 10 hours.
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In Portugal, REN confirmed that the Iberian electricity system was reconnected to the European grid and that the situation was returning to normal. Emergency measures, including load shedding, were implemented to stabilize the system and prevent further disruptions. This incident is reminiscent of a similar event on July 24, 2021, when a forest fire in southwestern France led to the disconnection of the Iberian Peninsula from the Continental European grid. That outage lasted approximately 45 minutes and affected over a million homes in Spain and Portugal.
The blackout underscores the fragility of Europe’s interconnected power grid and the need for robust infrastructure and contingency planning. Authorities in Spain, Portugal, and France are conducting thorough investigations to determine the root cause and to implement measures to prevent future occurrences. As the continent continues to integrate renewable energy sources and modernize its power infrastructure, ensuring the resilience and stability of the grid remains a top priority for European energy policymakers.
