Power Outage Cripples Spain and Portugal, Causes Widespread Disruptions, Mobile & Internet services down

April 28, 2025

A massive power outage struck Spain and Portugal on Monday, April 28, plunging millions into darkness and severely disrupting transportation, communication, and daily life across the Iberian Peninsula. Parts of southern France and the microstate of Andorra were also briefly affected.

The blackout began around 12:30 PM local time. Authorities say a rare atmospheric phenomenon over central Spain caused sudden temperature swings, destabilizing the region’s high-voltage transmission network. This triggered a cascading failure across parts of Europe’s interconnected power grid.

Due to power outage Electric Gates are being closed using Tapes, Chairs and Pallets

In Spain, public transport systems in Madrid and Barcelona came to a halt, flights were delayed, and several hospitals were forced to switch to emergency generators. The Madrid Open tennis tournament was suspended mid-match. In Portugal, the Lisbon Metro and train services were brought to a standstill, traffic lights failed, and mobile networks experienced widespread outages.

Power restoration efforts began within hours, but grid operators warned it could take most of the day to fully stabilize the system. Spain’s Red Eléctrica estimated a full recovery could take between six and ten hours, while Portugal’s REN suggested some disruptions could linger for several days.

https://x.com/sentdefender/status/1916836126603592044

Officials have ruled out cyberattacks as a cause. Early investigations point to extreme weather conditions and grid vulnerabilities as the main factors behind the incident.

Both Spain and Portugal, as well as their capitals of Madrid and Lisbon, are currently suffering from a massive power outage, effecting airports, hospitals, power plants, subways, traffic lights, and other critical infrastructure across Western Europe. The cause of the outage is… pic.twitter.com/dBWfgwvXz0

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 28, 2025

The blackout is being described as one of the most significant power failures in Europe in recent memory, raising urgent questions about the resilience of the continent’s energy infrastructure amid increasingly volatile weather patterns.