Blackout: Electricity in Spain and Portugal is gradually restored

The electricity has returned to large sections in Spain and Portugal after the extensive blackout on Monday, which also hit the capitals of the two countries, Madrid and Lisbon.

Millions of people have been hit by the unprecedented blackout that paralyzed many areas, with trains stopping, airplanes being locked, internet and mobile services interrupted, lanterns and ATMs not operating, while some ordinary hospital functions Sky News.

The Spanish Ministry of the Interior declared a national emergency situation and the two countries’ governments convened extraordinary meetings of their cabinets as officials were trying to find out what caused the interruption that began around 13:30 noon (Greek time).

What did the prime ministers announce in Spain and Portugal

On Monday night, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that electricity had returned to half a grid, and said the problem would have been remedied on Tuesday by the network manager.

In his television profession, Sanchez said that authorities have not yet identified what caused the blackout in the Iberian peninsula and excluding nothing.

He asked the public to avoid speculation and urged citizens to call on emergency services only if it is really necessary.

Edward Prieto, head of the Spanish electricity administrator Red Electrica, said the event was unprecedented, describing it as « unique and unusual ».

At the same time, Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said that electricity in his country would be fully restored in the coming hours.

He said that all government agencies still work despite difficulties. He also said that there was no « indication » that the cause of the power failure was some cyberattack.

Power outage in Madrid.

‘Rare atmospheric phenomenon’

Portugal’s Network Administrator argued that the interruption was caused by damage to the Spanish electricity network, which is associated with a « rare atmospheric phenomenon ».

Ren announced that, due to extreme temperature fluctuations in Spain, there were « abnormal oscillations » in very high voltage lines.

The Portuguese network administrator added that due to the complexity of the problem, it may take up to one week to fully normalize the operation of the network.

There were also problems in parts of France, according to the French RTE network administrator.

Which areas were affected by the blackout.

Metro and Airport Problems

Parts of the Madrid subway were evacuated and traffic lights in the city did not operate, according to local media.

The matches in the Madrid Open Tennis Tournament were interrupted because of the blackout.

AENA, which manages international airports throughout Spain, announced that some incidents have happened at airports due to power outage.

The company added in a statement: « Emergency generators are active. Please contact your airline, as there may be problems with access to terrestrial transport. « 

See relevant post:

No power, no phone, no transport – spain in a panic.

Panicked Customers Scrambled to Withdraw Cash From Banks and Streets Overflowed with Crowds Floundering without Internet and Phone Coverage as a Power Outage PlUnged Spain Into Chaos on Mondayhttps://t.co/HXMLXM549p pic.twitter.com/r4oqj9ox9k

– AFP News Agency (@AFP) April 29, 2025

‘Everything darkened’

Madi Sefton, who comes from western London, was in the Madrid subway when the power outage occurred.

« We got on the train and everything was fine, » he told Sky News. « But after everything darkened. »

The passengers stayed on the train for 20 minutes until a member of the staff was opened manually.

See related video:

Passengers in spain are evacuated through metro tunnels after a massive blackout disrupted power across spain, Portugal and Parts of Southern France.

The Outage Brought Metro Systems, Airports and Hospitals to A Standstill Throughout The Region pic.twitter.com/leu4w2lmrq

– TRT World (@trtworld) April 28, 2025

This passenger described that she was going to the airport at that time and had to get out of the station by climbing 15 stairs, carrying her luggage.

A situation that many others experienced since the elevators did not work, which caused difficulties in the elderly and those who have mobility problems.

Frustration is evident in people who traveled and had to drag their luggage with them, without having to go.

‘I can’t lift money from the ATM’

The bars could not accept card payments, the cash registers did not work, as did the traffic lights.

« At the moment I have no internet service and only 15 euros in my wallet – I can’t raise money from the ATM, » Madi Sefton added.

Meanwhile, thousands of passengers had to be removed after the blackout left out of the Barcelona subway.

Red Cross volunteers are preparing supplies for those trapped at the Sants Estacio train station due to the blackout in Barcelona.

The blackout caused the cessation of the tram and lanterns, according to reports.

Metrovalencia, the urban rail system that includes both the subway and the tram in Valencia, said traffic in the city was « disturbed » due to « general power outage in the city ».

The power outage also hit the Portuguese capital Lisbon and the surrounding areas, as well as the northern and southern parts of the country.