On April 28, 2025, a massive power outage struck Spain and Portugal at 12:33 p.m. CEST, disrupting daily life across the Iberian Peninsula and affecting parts of southwestern France and Andorra. Described by Spain’s grid operator, Red Eléctrica, as an “exceptional and totally extraordinary” event, the blackout led to widespread disruption of transport, telecommunications, and public services, marking one of the most severe power failures in recent European history.
The outage caused Spain to lose approximately 15 gigawatts of electricity within five seconds—about 60% of its demand at the time. Solar generation dropped dramatically, from 18 gigawatts to 8 gigawatts. Power restoration efforts began by 5:00 p.m. the same day, with Spain utilizing a “black start” process to reactivate gas and hydropower plants, supported by electricity imports from France and Morocco. By midnight, over 61% of the demand had been restored, and by the morning of April 29, 99.95% of Spain’s electricity load was back online. Portugal reported that 85 of its 89 substations were restored during the same timeframe.
The blackout triggered major transportation disruptions. Metro systems in Madrid, Lisbon, and Porto were shut down, prompting evacuations through dark tunnels. Train services were suspended, and over 500 flights were canceled across the peninsula. In Madrid, 174 elevator rescues were carried out, and hospitals relied on emergency generators to maintain critical services. Some non-essential operations were postponed, and businesses, including food vendors, suffered losses due to perishable stock.
At least five deaths in Spain have been attributed to the blackout, including three carbon monoxide poisoning cases from generator misuse and a fire-related fatality in Madrid.
Initial theories about the cause included a fire damaging a high-voltage line in southern France and atmospheric oscillations affecting the Spanish grid. However, France’s RTE denied infrastructure damage, and Spain’s meteorological agency (Aemet) found no evidence of unusual weather patterns. Red Eléctrica attributed the failure to a massive disconnection in southwestern Spain. Although authorities have ruled out a cyberattack, Spain’s High Court launched an investigation into possible acts of sabotage or terrorism.
The event raised concerns over the resilience of interconnected energy systems, especially as European countries increase reliance on renewable sources. Experts, such as Leeds University’s Kang Li, warned of the risk of cascading failures in tightly linked grids. In 2024, 56% of Spain’s electricity came from wind and solar, but critics argued that insufficient energy storage and backup capacity may have left the system vulnerable. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez defended the grid’s performance and praised the rapid restoration effort, while Portugal’s Prime Minister Luís Montenegro called for a European Union audit of the grid.
The blackout generated a wave of responses online, with users sharing stories of resilience and confusion under the trending hashtag #IberianBlackout. Although some posts falsely claimed outages lasted nearly 23 hours, most regions saw substantial restoration within 12 to 18 hours. The incident has intensified debate over Europe’s energy infrastructure and prompted the EU to launch a formal investigation into the continent’s grid stability.
Spain = Green
Portugal = Blue
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