Major Blackout Hits Spain and Portugal, Restoration Efforts Underway
By SUMAN NAISHADHAM and JOSEPH WILSON, Associated Press
MADRID (AP) — A massive blackout affecting Spain and Portugal on Monday left millions without power, grounding flights, halting metro systems, and disrupting communication networks across the Iberian Peninsula. The blackout reportedly cut power to 60% of Spain’s national demand within seconds.
As of Tuesday morning, Spain’s electricity operator confirmed that more than 99% of energy demand was restored, while Portugal’s grid operator announced all substations were back online, serving approximately 6.4 million customers. Although normalcy is returning, with schools and offices reopening and public transport resuming, the cause of the blackout remains elusive.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez emphasized the urgency of investigating the event to prevent future outages. Spain’s meteorological agency noted no unusual atmospheric conditions at the time, and cybersecurity officials dismissed rumors of foul play.
Travelers faced chaos at major train stations, many spending the night in transit hubs, including Madrid’s Atocha station, where support was provided by the Red Cross. Delays also impacted events such as the Madrid Tennis Open. Emergency services reported rescuing around 35,000 passengers stranded due to the outage.
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