Massive power outage in Spain and Portugal leaves thousands stranded and
millions without light
[April 29, 2025]
By RENATA BRITO, BARRY HATTON and JOSEPH WILSON
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — An unprecedented blackout brought much of Spain
and Portugal to a standstill Monday, stranding thousands of train
passengers and leaving millions of people without phone and internet
coverage and access to cash from ATMs across the Iberian Peninsula.
The sudden crash of the power grid also left authorities searching for
its cause. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez addressed the nation and
said that almost 11 hours after the nation ground to a halt, government
experts were still trying to determine what happened.
“We have never had a complete collapse of the system,” Sánchez said,
before detailing that at 12:33 p.m. on Monday Spain's power grid lost 15
gigawatts, the equivalent of 60% of its national demand, in a matter of
five seconds.
Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica’s head of operations Eduardo
Prieto said the event was “exceptional and extraordinary.”
Spain had recovered more than 92% of its power by 5 a.m. on Tuesday,
according to Red Eléctrica, and the prime minister pledged that the
entire country of 48 million would have lights back on by the end of the
day.
It was the second serious European power outage in less than six weeks
after a March 20 fire shut down Heathrow Airport in the U.K., and it
came as authorities across Europe gird against sabotage backed by
Russia.
The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Center in a statement said there
was no sign the outage was due to a cyber attack. Teresa Ribera,
European Commission executive vice president in charge of promoting
clean energy, indicated the same to journalists in Brussels and called
the power outage “one of the most serious episodes recorded in Europe in
recent times.”
“We are analyzing all the potential causes without discarding any
hypothesis,” Sánchez said.
Spanish and Portuguese capitals affected
The outage began at midday. Offices closed and traffic was snarled in
Madrid and Lisbon, while some civilians in Barcelona directed traffic.
Train services in both countries stopped.
Emergency services and rail workers in Spain had to help evacuate some
35,000 people from over 100 trains that stopped on the tracks when the
electricity was cut. By 11 p.m. passengers from 11 trains still needed
evacuating, Sánchez said.
In Madrid, hundreds of people at a bus stop that takes travelers to the
airport tried to hitchhike as buses didn’t come by or arrived full of
passengers. Many held improvised signs and tried to convince drivers to
take them. Some drivers were helping some of them.
“I’ve been here for almost three hours, trying to get someone to take me
to the airport because my family arrived today and I can’t talk to
them," Jessica Fernández told The Associated Press. “This is
terrifying.”
The subway systems shut down.
“I don’t know how I am going to get home,” Barcelona resident Ivette
Corona said as she watched a large group of people fail to get on a bus
that briefly stopped to squeeze in a couple of passengers.
Hospitals and other emergency services switched to generators and gas
stations stopped working. It wasn't possible to make calls on most
mobile phone networks, though some apps were sporadically working.
People searched for battery-powered radios.
It is rare to have such a widespread outage across the Iberian
Peninsula, with a combined population of about 60 million people.
Spain’s Canary Islands, Balearic Islands and the territories of Ceuta
and Melilla, located across the Mediterranean in Africa, were not
affected.
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A vendor sit at her shop, during a major power outage in Barcelona,
Spain, Monday, April 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
After an extraordinary meeting of the National Security Council, Sánchez
said the army would distribute generators and other material to the
hardest-hit areas on Tuesday.
The Portuguese Cabinet convened an emergency meeting at the prime
minister’s residence. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said he
had spoken several times to Sánchez and expected power to be restored by
the end of the day.
Portugal’s government said the outage appeared to stem from problems
outside the country, an official told national news agency Lusa.
Electricity was being pulled from Morocco and France to restore power to
southern and northern Spain, Spain's prime minister said, thanking their
governments. Spain was also increasing the production from hydroelectric
and combined cycle thermal power plants.
Airports working on backup systems
A graph on Spain’s electricity network website showing demand across the
country indicated a steep drop around 12:15 p.m. from 27,500 megawatts
to near 15,000 megawatts.
Spanish airports were operating on backup electrical systems and some
flights were delayed, according to Aena, which runs 56 airports in Spain
including Madrid and Barcelona.
In Lisbon, terminals closed and tourists sat outside waiting for news
about flights.
“We haven’t seen any plane arriving or departing in the 50 minutes we’ve
been waiting here,” Dutch tourist Marc Brandsma said.
The Spanish Parliament in Madrid closed. Play at the Madrid Open tennis
tournament was suspended.
Some took advantage of the lack of connectivity to enjoy the sunshine on
restaurant terraces, parks and beaches. Barcelona’s streets filled with
throngs of people milling in front of darkened stores and exchanging
information.
“We are lucky. Some people got trapped in the metro. And there is a
positive side: We are talking more with each other,” said Monste Cortés
in Barcelona.
She said dinner would be sliced bread and cold cuts.
The hunt for connectivity
As hours passed, so did the concern of those unable to reach loved ones.
“I can’t even call my boss because nothing works," said Helen Osorio, a
Barcelona shop clerk.
In Terrassa, an industrial town 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Barcelona,
stores selling generators were out of stock.
Portugal’s National Authority for Emergencies and Civil Protection said
backup power systems were operating.
In Portugal, a country of some 10.6 million people, police placed more
officers on duty to cope with increased requests for help, including
from people trapped in elevators.
Several Lisbon subway cars were evacuated, reports said. Courts stopped
work and ATMs and electronic payment systems were affected.
___
Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. Associated Press writers Tales
Azzoni in Madrid and Emma Burrows in London contributed.
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