Prime Minister says that situation “is still serious”

The prime minister confirmed that this Monday was decreed a situation of energy crisis. Luís Montenegro added that the « situation is still serious. »

Speaking to the country at 9:30 pm, the head of government stated that the problem « originated in Spain », possibly by « an abrupt increase in tension in the Spanish power grid. » Without needing an estimate, Luís Montenegro says energy replacement will be « in the next few hours, » but « the supply will be replaced gradually. »

« Despite all the adversities of an unprecedented crisis, essential services have been in operation and the state has revealed response capacity, » he said, adding that schools could reopen on Tuesday « if there is no disturbance in the process of refueling ».

The prime minister also said he hopes that on Tuesday will resume the normality in the distribution of essential goods, medicines or fuel, appealing to the Portuguese to moderate the consumption to the necessary, thanking his patience.

The prime minister also recalled the government’s action plan from the moment the blackout was recorded, enumerating the various advanced measures to mitigate the effects felt by the absence of electricity.

Luís Montenegro also said that there is a possibility that electricity takes longer to be restored fully in Portugal than in Spain, since the national network is “exclusively linked” to Spanish, while Spain has interconnections with other countries, such as France and Morocco.

Luís Montenegro, who was speaking to the press at the official residence in São Bento, also called for prudence in the face of disinformation and moderation of electricity consumption, and confirms that he took measures to “reinforce the ability to prevent and resilience to avoid such occurrences” in the future with REN.

REN – National Energy Networks has now confirmed a widespread cut in the electrical supply throughout the Iberian Peninsula and has advanced that restoration plans are being activated by energy supply steps.