Electricity has been fully restored across Spain and Portugal following one of the largest power outages in Europe’s recent history, which left nearly 60 million people in the Iberian Peninsula without power on Monday, April 28.
The outage began in the afternoon and stretched into the night, causing widespread chaos across both nations. Passengers in elevators and public transport were left stranded, with disrupted phone and internet access, leading to the cancellation of hundreds of flights.
According to Spain’s electricity grid operator, Red Eléctrica, the disruption occurred due to two disconnection events in the European power grid, specifically linked to France. Although the system recovered from the first event, the second triggered a mass blackout.
“About 15 gigawatts of electricity — nearly 60 percent of the power being consumed at the time — suddenly disappeared,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at a press conference held at Moncloa Palace late Monday night.
However, by Tuesday morning, April 29, more than 99% of Spain’s power networks had been restored. In Portugal, national grid operator REN confirmed that all 89 substations were back in operation by Monday night, and the network had “stabilised.”
Despite the rapid technical recovery, the human and economic impacts were significant:
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In Spain, 205 flight departures and 208 arrivals were cancelled.
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In Portugal, 185 departures and 187 arrivals were also cancelled.
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Train services were halted. Madrid Metro confirmed that only 80% of trains were running by Tuesday morning.
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Schools remained closed in several regions across Spain.
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In Barcelona, passengers stranded overnight described scenes of distress. “People slept on the floor like dogs,” one commuter told local media.
What Caused It?
While power has been restored, the exact cause remains unclear. Cyberattacks and human error have been ruled out by both governments.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro stated that the source of the failure was “probably in Spain,” but also mentioned the possibility of a “rare atmospheric phenomenon” being involved, according to reporting by Al Jazeera’s Sonia Gallego.
Red Eléctrica’s Director of Network Operations added that the outage was “exceptional and totally extraordinary.” He confirmed that the disconnection of the European grid in France was a trigger, though what caused that disconnection remains uncertain.
“All the potential causes are being analysed,” said PM Sánchez. “I urge the public not to speculate due to the risk of misinformation. No hypothesis is being ruled out.”
To that end, Spain has established a government commission to investigate the root cause of the incident and review the role of private energy companies.
European aviation officials reported that around 700 fewer aircraft movements occurred in Spain and Portugal on Monday compared to normal operations.
While airlines are working to return passengers home, aviation sources noted that the midweek timing of the blackout helped limit the chaos, as travel volumes are lower than during weekends or holiday periods.
Although life in both countries is returning to normal, persistent questions remain about Europe’s power systems and the vulnerabilities exposed by the outage.
“We are overcoming the worst,” said Sánchez. “But we must ensure this does not happen again.”
