Spain, April 28:Massive power outages in most parts of Europe have hit public life and industries on Monday, putting almost the whole nation in an acute darkness.
No power in the estates forced Spain, Portugal, and parts of France to remain in a blackout state severely impacting industrial and consumer operations.
It also underlined the need for grid stability and more secure networks, as the faults could not be dealt with despite sincere efforts.
Regardless of whether the fault was a systems failure or from a cyber-attack, the widespread outage has upped the stakes over energy security.
The unprecedented power outage, which hit around late morning 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 have also been affected, with residents across the two countries saying they have no access to mobile networks.
Meanwhile, other airports came to a standstill throughout the Iberian Peninsula, and flights from Brussels and other European cities to Spain and Portugal were cancelled, leaving hundreds stranded.
Numerous passengers were also left stranded in the metro systems of the Spanish and Portuguese capitals, with trains stuck in tunnels between stations.
The blackout also affected hospitals, including Madrid's La Paz and multiple medical facilities in Portugal, with some being forced to cancel surgeries.
A Metro station in Madrid remains shut down during a blackout on Monday, 28 April 2025
A source at a hospital in Setúbal told news that, the facility has a backup generator capable of operating for 8-12 hours in the hospital's critical departments. However, there is currently no water supply. The hospital has still not received any information on when the power supply will be back or how to proceed, and it has also lost its internet access.
The Spanish government convened an emergency session at Moncloa and is monitoring the situation as it develops.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the control centre of Red Electrica, the company that operates Spain's electric grid, on being aware of the blackout.
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 (European electricity transmission system operators' network) ENTSO-E to understand the underlying cause and the impact of the situation."
"As per EU legislation in place there are protocols in place to restore the functioning of the system," the statement read.
"Following the massive blackout, we stand ready to support Spain and Portugal in putting their systems back on track," European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen said in a post on X.
Network operators and ENTSO-E are doing everything possible on the ground to put the power service on track.
