Large areas of Spain and Portugal hit by great energy blackout

Spain and Portugal were hit by a widespread blackout on Monday, which paralyzed public transportation, caused large traffic jams and delayed flights, and public service operators were struggling to restore the network.

Authorities failed to explain the cause of the interruption at least an hour after the incident, although a possible cyber attack was not ruled out and investigations are underway, authorities said. A crisis committee was created in Spain to manage the situation, according to people familiar with the subject.

The Spanish and Portuguese governments called for emergency office meetings after the power outage, which also briefly affected a part of France, which borders northeast Spain.

Portuguese concessionaire REN confirmed an electricity cut throughout the Iberian Peninsula that also affected part of France, while the Spanish network operator Red Electrica said it was working with regional energy companies to restore energy.

“All plans for the gradual restoration of power supply are being activated, in coordination with European producers and energy operators,” said a REN spokesman.

“REN is in permanent contact with official entities, namely with the National Civil Protection Authority. At the same time, the possible causes of this incident are being evaluated.”

The Madrid Open tennis tournament was suspended, forcing the 15th Key Head Grigor Dimitrov and British opponent Jacob Fearnley to get out of the court, as the scores were dark and the cameras were out of power.

Spanish radio stations reported that part of the Madrid subway was being evacuated. There were traffic jams in downtown Madrid, as the traffic lights stopped working, Radio Cader said.

Hundreds of people were outside the commercial buildings on the streets of Madrid and there was a strong police presence around the main buildings, directing traffic and also driving through the central atria with lit lights, according to a Reuters witness.

One of the four high buildings in Madrid that houses the British embassy was evacuated, the witness added.

A local radio reported people trapped in subway wagons and standing elevators.
Portuguese police reported that the traffic lights were affected throughout the country, the subway was closed in Lisbon and Porto and the trains were not circulating.

The Lisbon Metro Transport Operator, Lisbon Metropolitan, said the subway was still with people still inside the trains, according to the public newspaper.

A source from TAP Air from Portugal said Lisbon airport was operating with reserve generators, while Aena, which manages 46 airports in Spain, reported flight delays across the country.

In France, the network operator RTe reported that there was a brief interruption, but the energy had already been restored. The cause is being investigated.

Originally published by Reuters on 28/04/2025

Report: Emma Pinedo, Andrei Khalip, Catarina Demony, Aislinn Laing, Dominique Patton

Writing: Nina Chestney

Edition: Andrei Khalip, Bernadette Baum and Mark Heinrich