Massive Power Outage Brings Spain and Portugal to Standstill

Madrid, April 28, 2025 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — A massive power outage disrupted large parts of Spain and Portugal on Monday, grounding flights, halting public transportation, causing widespread panic buying, and prompting emergency responses from both governments. The blackout, which began around 10:33 GMT, left millions of homes and businesses without electricity, in one of the largest power disruptions Europe has seen in recent years.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez addressed the nation, confirming that investigations into the cause of the outage are ongoing. "We do not yet have conclusive information on the reasons for this cut, so I ask the people to stay informed through official channels," Sanchez said. He emphasized that there was no current evidence of any civil protection issues or broader security threats.

In response to the crisis, Spain’s National Security Council was scheduled to reconvene Monday evening. Meanwhile, power restoration efforts were underway, with partial recovery reported in areas such as the Basque Country and Barcelona, although the full restoration timeline remains unclear.

Hospitals in Madrid and Catalonia suspended non-emergency medical services, relying on backup generators to treat critical patients. Retail operations were severely impacted, with major chains such as Lidl and IKEA closing several locations. Oil refineries in Spain were also temporarily shut down.

Scenes of disruption unfolded across Madrid, where traffic lights stopped working, causing severe gridlock. Emergency personnel directed traffic manually at key intersections. Madrid’s Atocha railway station was heavily affected, stranding travelers, while images from local supermarkets showed long queues and empty shelves amid panic buying.

The financial sector reported minor disruptions; although the Bank of Spain confirmed electronic banking services were operating through backup systems, some ATM machines remained offline.

In Portugal, similar scenes played out as metro services in Lisbon and Porto came to a halt, traffic signals malfunctioned, and residents queued for essential supplies, including gaslights, generators, and batteries. Water supply services warned of potential disruptions.

Portugal’s main electricity provider, EDP, advised customers that the normalization of service could take several hours. Meanwhile, France’s RTE grid operator reported providing supplementary power to parts of northern Spain to assist recovery efforts.

Transportation systems were significantly affected. Madrid’s underground metro was partially evacuated, and matches at the Madrid Open tennis tournament were temporarily suspended. Airports in both countries experienced flight delays, with Lisbon Airport operating on backup power.

Local media reported that some individuals were trapped in elevators and metro cars across Madrid and Lisbon, with emergency teams responding.

Energy experts noted that around 43% of Spain’s energy supply comes from renewable sources such as wind and solar, complemented by nuclear and fossil fuel energy. However, the exact cause of Monday’s unprecedented blackout remains under investigation.

Europe has witnessed few outages of this magnitude in recent decades. Notably, a major power failure in Italy in 2003 and another in Germany in 2006 caused widespread regional disruptions, but events on the scale currently affecting Spain and Portugal remain rare.

Authorities in both countries have urged citizens to stay calm, minimize movement, and follow official advisories as restoration efforts continue.