Chaos reigned around 12:30 p.m. local time in Spain, but also in much of Portugal and parts of France, after a widespread blackout, an incident that raises questions about the energy vulnerability of the European continent.
Extensive power cuts and mobile phone network outages were caused throughout Spain, while some areas of Portugal and southern France, which are interconnected to the Spanish electricity supply network, were also affected. Key cities such as Madrid, Seville and Lisbon are the cities affected by the situation.
Parts of the Madrid subway have been evacuated and traffic lights in the city are not working, according to local media. In Valencia, the subway has announced that it has suspended services across the network. While, in Barcelona, thousands of passengers were evacuated after a blackout occurred in the subway, according to Spanish news website El Mundo.
Madrid’s Barajas International Airport was left without power, resulting in delays to both arrivals and departures.
Gibraltar seems to be the only region of the Iberian Peninsula with electricity.
The reason for the blackout remains unknown at present.
The Spanish electricity grid management company Red Eléctrica said it is working with energy companies to restore power, starting in the north and south of the peninsula.
On its X account, Red Eléctrica says that it has implemented a contingency plan to restore electricity supply, starting from the north and south of the peninsula, in collaboration with the companies in the sector, following the blackout that occurred. “We activated contingency plans following the failure that occurred in the peninsula’s power system,” he noted. He clarifies that “The causes of the problem are being analysed and every resource is being made available to resolve it.”
The Spanish Minister of Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen, visited the Red Eléctrica control centre to oversee the restoration work.
The Spanish government has also convened a meeting on the crisis, according to the Spanish newspaper El País.
Data from Spain’s electricity grid shows a huge drop in a matter of seconds.
