Massive Blackout Hits Spain, Portugal, and Parts of France: ‘I Thought It Was the Prelude to War’

A unprecedented blackout has been recorded across nearly all of Spain, as well as parts of Portugal and France, with causes remaining unknown. The possibility of a cyberattack has not been ruled out. Major cities like Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, and Seville have been plunged into darkness as the government scrambles to resolve the issue before nightfall. Spanish electricity grid operator Red Electrica announced collaboration with energy companies to restore power. “All resources are currently being used to address the situation,” emphasized Red Electrica, adding that power is gradually being restored in northern and southern parts of the Iberian Peninsula. A massive power outage affects the entire Iberian Peninsula and parts of France, according to the Portuguese electricity network authority. Spanish rail company Renfe reported that at 12:30 local time (13:30 Greece time), a blackout occurred nationwide, halting all trains. Airports in Spain are also experiencing issues due to the blackout, though emergency generators have been activated. Traffic congestion has been reported in central Madrid due to non-functioning traffic lights. Sections of the Madrid metro system are being evacuated, and the service has been suspended due to power supply disruptions. E-Redes, a Spanish network monitoring company, stated they are working on restoring connections in phases, noting it’s a broader European problem. Residents and travelers recount chaotic scenes. Lynne Morgan from Santarem, Portugal, described the scene as “chaos everywhere” with no power or traffic lights. Luis, living north of Lisbon, thought the outage signaled the start of a war when he learned it affected Spain and France. Wade, at Barcelona airport, noted that while power was restored after about 40 minutes, gate screens remain non-functional. Maddie Sephton, traveling through Madrid’s metro, recounted being trapped in a train for 20 minutes before an employee manually opened the doors. She had to climb 15 floors to reach her destination due to non-functioning escalators. Stores cannot accept card payments, ATMs are out of service, and traffic lights are non-functional. The Spanish government convened an emergency meeting at Red Electrica headquarters, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the Energy Minister en route to the facility.