Millions are without electricity in Spain and Portugal, the recovery can take up to a week
The worst interruption of power supply in the new history of Spain has affected local time from noon, millions of citizens across the country as well as Portugal. According to French media, areas are slightly affected near the border with Spain, as well as cities like Perpignan.
Portuguese Minister Manuel Castro Almeida said on the RTP television channel that a cyberattack cannot be excluded and that it can affect several European countries. Prime Minister Luis Montenegro pointed out that nothing was off, but so far there are no signs of cyberattack.
But according to the Portuguese energy operator The explanation is a phenomenon called « induced atmospheric vibrations », Caused by the instability of very high voltage networks (400 kV) from extreme temperatures inside Spain. Full system recovery can take one week, added by Red Eléctrica Nacional (Ren).
Montenegro expressed hope in the coming hours to start normalizing the situation in Portugal. In Spain, stopping the current paralyzes the normal functioning of infrastructure, telecommunications, traffic – massives do not work – stations, airports, shops and buildings. Hundreds of incidents in the elevators have been reported, he describes El Pais, but hospitals are not affected as they use generators. The Spanish Stock Exchange (BME) confirmed that it was working normally and that there were no interruptions in stock market operations.
Red Eléctrica, the public company that manages the national electricity transmission network in Spain, emphasized the unprecedented nature of the situation: « Such an event has never happened before; this is an absolutely exceptional incident. » Eduardo Accepted, Director of Red Eléctrica Operational Services, said the full recovery of power supply would take between six and ten hours, which, if confirmed, would mean that power throughout the country will be restored between 9 pm and 1 am.
| Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko has suggested that with a message in the X country to « share experience and knowledge, including acquired during systemic Russian attacks on our energy infrastructure. » |
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is heading to the Red Eléctrica control center, while Catalun regional Prime Minister Salvador Ilya has scheduled a meeting with the crisis office at 2 pm at the Catalunya General Palace. Other regions such as Andalusia and the Basque country have taken similar measures.
Here are more reports about the Iberian Peninsula crisis:
- The Spanish railway network ADIF has suffered losses of voltage, which has led to the stopping of trains throughout the country. Renfe has announced through its social media accounts that there is no train movement or trains from 12:30. In the same way, the suburban railway network of Madrid « Serkanias » is out of operation due to lack of electricity.
- Various airlines have reported interruptions at airports such as Madrid-Barahas and Barcelona-El Pratt, as power is being restored. The airlines reported to regulate or reduce traffic in the two main centers of the peninsula: Madrid-Barahas and Lisbon. There is confusion among airlines and passengers.
- Electricity interruptions also affect telecommunications. Phone calls cannot be massively, and WhatsApp messages work with reduced capacity. Large telecommunications companies such as Telefónica and Masorange are investigating the situation and working for the fastest possible recovery of the service.
- The Internet can work for several hours without electricity, but not for much longer. While data centers are protected from their own reserve generators, the network relies on intermediate systems with shorter autonomy.
- Spain’s health system is currently operating as hospitals are equipped with spare power generators, which can maintain mainly equipment such as fans, cardiac monitors and other vital medical devices working for hours. Although some facilities in certain areas may have a loss of power supply, this should not affect intensive care.
- The Traffic Directorate -General asks the public to avoid the use of cars, except in the event of an extreme need because of the risk of incidents. « The lack of power supply interferes with the operation of traffic lights and signaling boards. » In some areas, police officers regulate traffic personally.
- In Madrid, the subway was suspended for « external reasons » related to the power outage, according to a message posted on X.
- 150 incidents were reported in the city, according to Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida.
- The massive power braking paralyzes the business of the business. At the Ford Almussafes plant, production lines are completely stopped, and machines in Iveco and Valladolid businesses have stopped.
- In Portugal at Lisbon Airport, thousands of passengers have been confused after damage to the power supply system.
The Spanish oil company Moeve said it was stopped her oil refineries in SpainS Known formerly as CEPSA, it manages three Spanish sites, which focuses a share of about 40% of the country’s oil processing capacity. The company is owned by the Mubadala Fund by Abu Dhabi and the US -based private investment company Carlyle Group.
