Chaos/ Electricity outages in Spain, France and Portugal

2025-04-28 13:44:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

All of Spain and large parts of Portugal and France have been hit by a massive power outage, causing chaos in many cities.

Reports suggest the national power outage occurred at 12:30 p.m. on Monday.

Malaga, Seville, Madrid, Badajoz and other cities are said to have been affected, according to reports.

Politico Europe reports that the Spanish grid operator said it was working to restore power.

"Plans were activated to restore electricity supply in collaboration with sector companies following the power outage that occurred in the peninsular system," Red Eléctrica said on social media.

Madrid's Barajas International Airport was left without power and telecommunications were also affected, with residents in both countries reporting no access to mobile networks. Meanwhile, other airports across the region were blocked.

Many passengers have been stranded on the metro systems of the Spanish and Portuguese capitals, with trains stuck in tunnels between stations, Euronews Portugal reports. The disruption has also affected hospitals, including Madrid's La Paz, and numerous medical facilities in Portugal, with some forced to cancel operations.

The Spanish government has convened an emergency session at Moncloa and is monitoring the situation.

Citizens have been asked not to call 112 except in true emergencies to avoid overloading the lines.

Residents of Andorra and parts of France bordering Spain were also reporting being hit by power outages. Other outages have been reported as far away as Belgium, according to the latest information.

By Monday afternoon, the company that operates Spain's electricity grid, Red Eléctrica, said it had begun gradually restoring power to northern and southern Spain. However, the process could take some time for technical reasons.

The cause is still unclear. Endesa and Iberdrola, the two main electricity companies in Spain, are investigating the incident.

Local media are reporting problems with the European electricity grid, which however affected national networks in the Iberian Peninsula.

A fire in southwestern France, on Mount Alaric, which damaged a high-voltage line between Perpignan and eastern Narbonne, has also been identified as a possible cause, Portugal's national electricity company REN said./ CNA