BARCELONA, Spain— A massive and unprecedented blackout swept across Spain and Portugal on Monday, halting transportation, cutting off phone and internet services, and leaving millions without access to ATMs throughout the Iberian Peninsula.
The abrupt collapse of the power grid triggered an urgent investigation by authorities to uncover the cause. Speaking to the nation, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that nearly 11 hours after the outage began, government experts were still working to understand what had gone wrong.
“We have never experienced a total system failure like this before,” Sánchez said, explaining that at exactly 12:33 p.m. Monday, Spain’s power grid abruptly lost 15 gigawatts — roughly 60% of the country’s electricity demand — in just five seconds.
Eduardo Prieto, head of operations at Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica, called the incident “exceptional and extraordinary.”
By 5 a.m. Tuesday, over 92% of Spain’s power supply had been restored, according to Red Eléctrica, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez assured the public that electricity would be fully restored across the country of 48 million by the end of the day.
This was the second major power disruption in Europe in less than six weeks, following a fire at Heathrow Airport in the U.K. on March 20. The blackout also occurred amid growing concerns across Europe about potential Russian-backed sabotage.
Portugal’s National Cybersecurity Center stated that there was no evidence suggesting a cyberattack caused the outage. Similarly, Teresa Ribera, European Commission executive vice president for green energy initiatives, told reporters in Brussels that there were no indications of such an attack and described the blackout as “one of the most serious incidents in Europe in recent memory.”
“We are examining all possible causes and are not ruling anything out,” Sánchez said.
The capitals of both Spain and Portugal were among the affected areas.
The blackout struck around midday, forcing offices to close and causing severe traffic disruptions in both Madrid and Lisbon. In Barcelona, some residents stepped in to direct traffic manually. Train operations across both Spain and Portugal came to a standstill.
Emergency responders and railway staff in Spain were tasked with evacuating approximately 35,000 passengers from more than 100 halted trains. By 11 p.m., evacuations were still underway for passengers on 11 trains, according to Prime Minister Sánchez.
In Madrid, airport-bound travelers crowded a bus stop, trying to hitchhike after regular bus services failed to arrive or were already full. Some held handmade signs, hoping passing drivers would help. A few motorists stopped to assist.
“I’ve been waiting nearly three hours for a ride to the airport,” said Jessica Fernández. “My family arrived today and I can’t even reach them. This is terrifying,” she told The Associated Press.
Metro systems shut down entirely.
“I have no idea how I’ll get home,” said Ivette Corona, a resident of Barcelona, as she watched crowds unsuccessfully try to board an overcrowded bus that only managed to take a few passengers.
Hospitals and emergency facilities switched to backup generators, and gas stations ceased operations. Mobile phone networks were largely down, with only occasional access to some apps. Many people turned to battery-powered radios for updates.
Such a large-scale outage across the Iberian Peninsula—which has a population of roughly 60 million—is highly unusual. Notably, Spain’s Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, and its North African enclaves, Ceuta and Melilla, were unaffected.
Following an emergency meeting of the National Security Council, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the military would begin distributing generators and other essential supplies to the most severely affected regions starting Tuesday.
In Portugal, the Cabinet held a crisis meeting at the prime minister’s residence. Prime Minister LuÃs Montenegro said he had been in frequent contact with Sánchez and anticipated that electricity would be fully restored by the end of the day.
According to a government official quoted by national news agency Lusa, the Portuguese administration believes the outage originated from issues beyond the country’s borders.
To help restore power in southern and northern Spain, electricity was being sourced from Morocco and France. Sánchez expressed gratitude to both nations and noted that Spain was also ramping up output from hydroelectric and combined-cycle thermal plants.
Spanish airports, including major hubs in Madrid and Barcelona, were relying on backup power systems, and some flights experienced delays, according to Aena, the operator of 56 airports across the country.
Meanwhile in Lisbon, airport terminals were shut down, leaving tourists waiting outside for updates on their flights.
“We haven’t seen a single plane land or take off in the 50 minutes we've been waiting,” said Dutch tourist Marc Brandsma.
In Madrid, the Spanish Parliament shut down, and play at the Madrid Open tennis tournament was halted due to the blackout.
With internet and phone service disrupted, many people used the unexpected pause to enjoy sunny weather on terraces, in parks, and along beaches. In Barcelona, crowds gathered in front of shuttered shops, chatting and sharing updates.
“We’re lucky—some people got stuck in the metro,” said Monste Cortés in Barcelona. “And there’s a silver lining: people are talking to each other more.” For dinner, she said she’d be having sliced bread and cold cuts.
In Terrassa, an industrial city about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Barcelona, demand for generators surged, leaving stores completely sold out.
Portugal’s National Authority for Emergencies and Civil Protection reported that backup power systems were functioning.
In Portugal, a nation of approximately 10.6 million people, police deployed additional officers to respond to a surge in emergency calls, including reports of individuals trapped in elevators.
According to local reports, several subway trains in Lisbon had to be evacuated. The blackout also brought court proceedings to a halt and disrupted ATMs and electronic payment systems.
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