Massive blackout hits EU countries
Spain and Portugal suffer major power outage prompting emergency government meetings, with causes remaining unknown Read Full Article at RT.com
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Spain and Portugal have been paralyzed by a widespread power outage on Monday
A huge power outage struck Spain and Portugal at around noon on Monday, paralyzing public transport and delaying flights. The cause of the blackout has not officially been determined, although an EU grid operator cited a “rare atmospheric phenomenon” as a possible factor.
The governments of the two EU nations have convened emergency cabinet meetings following the outage, which also briefly affected parts of France.
In Spain, blackouts were reported in Seville, Barcelona and Pamplona, with additional disruptions in Valencia. Metro services in Madrid and Barcelona were suspended, forcing passengers to evacuate trains and walk along the tracks, according to footage circulating online. Telephone lines were reportedly down across much of Spain, and Madrid’s main airport was left without power.
Hundreds of people stood outside office buildings on Madrid’s streets and there was a heavy police presence around key buildings, directing traffic and patrolling central atriums with lights, according to Reuters, citing witnesses.
A major tennis tournament in Madrid has been suspended due to the blackout. Spain’s Channel 6 television has continued broadcasting in darkness.
Portugal and parts of southern France also reported network failures, according to local media.
Spain’s national grid operator said a “major incident” in the energy transmission system may have caused the blackout. Power companies stated they were working to restore services as quickly as possible.
Así está el aeropuerto de Barajas Madrid #apagon pic.twitter.com/fwLVigw9AJ
— Libertad Digital (@libertaddigital) April 28, 2025
The Portuguese grid operator, Redes Energeticas Nacionais (REN), has said a “rare atmospheric phenomenon” over Spain, triggered by “extreme temperature variations,” may have caused the massive blackout.
REN added it is still too early to determine when power will be fully restored.
“At this time, it is still impossible to predict when the situation will be normalized,” it said in a statement, adding that it had “all resources deployed” to resolve the outage, according to AFP.
