Spain, Portugal and parts of France hit by massive power outages!
A nationwide power outage hit Spain and Portugal on Monday, leaving millions without power. Reports indicate problems with the European power grid. Updates will follow. Spain and Portugal experienced a widespread power outage on Monday, leaving millions without power in an immediate blackout.
In Portugal, official sources told local media that the outage, which occurred around 10:00 a.m. local time, was nationwide, while similar reports emerged from Spain. Madrid's Barajas International Airport and Lisbon's Humberto Delgado were closed after being left without power, and telecommunications were also affected, with residents in both countries reporting no access to mobile networks. Other airports across the region were also shut down.
Many passengers were stranded on the metro systems of the Spanish and Portuguese capitals, with trains stuck in tunnels between stations. The outage has also affected hospitals, including Madrid's La Paz, and many medical facilities in Portugal, with some forced to cancel operations. A source at a hospital in Setúbal said the facility has a backup generator capable of running for 8-12 hours in critical departments of the hospital. However, there is currently no water supply. The hospital has not yet received any information on when the power supply will be restored or how it will continue, and it has also lost access to the internet.
Citizens have been asked not to call 112 except in a real emergency to avoid overloading the lines. The Spanish government has met for an emergency session in Moncloa and is monitoring the situation as it develops, while Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez came to the control center of the company that operates Spain's electricity grid, Red Electrica.
The European Commission issued a statement on Monday afternoon, saying it was " in contact with the national authorities of Spain and Portugal, as well as (the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity) ENTSO-E to understand the root cause and impact of the situation". "In accordance with applicable EU legislation... there are protocols in place to restore the functioning of the system," the statement said.
Residents of Andorra and parts of France bordering Spain also reported being affected by power outages. According to the latest information, further outages have been reported as far as Belgium. Electricity service has since been restored in France, after some areas suffered a partial outage, sources at the manager of the national network RTE said, quoted by the Spanish news agency Efe.
The sources added that RTE is exploring ways to relocate electricity to help reconnect Spain. The Basque Country has also had power restored, according to reports. By Monday afternoon, Red Eléctrica said it had begun gradually restoring power to both the north and south of Spain. However, the process of getting everyone back online could take some time for technical reasons, it added.
According to Red Eléctrica, electricity consumption across Spain fell by 50% at around 12:30pm on Monday, indicating the scale of the outage. The cause is still unclear. Spain's two main electricity companies, Endesa and Iberdrola, are investigating the incident.
Local media are reporting problems with the European power grid, which affected national networks in the Iberian Peninsula. A fire in southwestern France, on Mount Alaric, which damaged a high-voltage power line between Perpignan and eastern Narbonne, has also been identified as a possible cause, Portugal's national electricity company REN said.
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