'Exceptional' power outage hits millions in Spain and Portugal; emergency declared
Both countries declared a state of emergency as they struggled to manage the disruption.
According to Portugal's Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN), the electrical supply was disrupted across the Iberian Peninsula and parts of France after midday. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reported that authorities continued investigating the incident hours afterwards.
The blackout occurred when there was a sudden loss of 15 gigawatts of power. "This is something that has never happened before," Sanchez stated. "To give you an idea, 15 gigawatts is equivalent to approximately 60 per cent of the country's demand at that time."
Sanchez confirmed that at 12:33 pm on Monday, Spain's power grid experienced this unprecedented loss within five seconds. Red Electrica's operations chief Eduardo Prieto described the situation as "exceptional and extraordinary".
The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Center confirmed no evidence of a cyberattack. Teresa Ribera, European Commission executive vice president, called it "one of the most serious episodes recorded in Europe in recent times".
The disruption began at midday, affecting traffic in Madrid and Lisbon. Spanish emergency services evacuated approximately 35,000 people from over 100 trains. By 11 pm, passengers from 11 trains still awaited evacuation.
Essential services were severely affected. Hospitals relied on generators, whilst petrol stations ceased operations. Mobile networks largely failed, though some applications worked intermittently. The outage impacted about 60 million people across the peninsula, excluding Spain's islands and African territories.
Following a National Security Council meeting, Sanchez announced army deployment to distribute generators to affected areas on Tuesday. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, after emergency cabinet discussions, anticipated power restoration by day's end. Portuguese officials suggested the problem originated outside their country, according to national news agency Lusa.
Spain's electrical network data showed a significant decline in demand from 27,500 megawatts to approximately 15,000 megawatts around 12:15 pm.
Spanish airports operated on emergency power systems, causing flight delays across Aena's 56 airports, including major hubs in Madrid and Barcelona.
In Portugal's capital, airport terminals ceased operations, leaving tourists waiting outside. Dutch visitor Marc Brandsma told AP, "We haven't seen any plane arriving or departing in the 50 minutes we've been waiting here."
The outage affected various institutions and events, including the Spanish Parliament and Madrid Open tennis tournament.
Some citizens found alternative ways to spend time during the connectivity loss, whilst in Barcelona, crowds gathered outside non-functioning shops sharing information.
The situation caused anxiety amongst those unable to contact family members. A Barcelona shop worker, Helen Osorio, stated, "I can't even call my boss because nothing works."
Generator supplies were exhausted in Terrassa, an industrial centre 50 kilometres from Barcelona.
Portuguese emergency services activated backup systems, with additional police deployed to assist with increased emergency calls, particularly regarding lift entrapments.
The crisis affected various services in Portugal, including underground transport evacuations, court operations, and electronic payment systems.
Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlask announced emergency measures across several regions, including Andalusia, Extremadura, Murcia, La Rioja, and Madrid.
Portugal's Prime Minister Luis Montenegro declared an energy emergency, stating, "We have learnt of a general blackout in the electricity grid, which originated outside our territory, most probably in Spain."
Portuguese authorities established a crisis management centre and requested public cooperation in reducing energy consumption.
The power failure left numerous passengers stranded in metropolitan transport systems in both nations' capitals.
Spanish governmental officials convened an emergency meeting at Moncloa to monitor developments.
Power was being restored to Spain through electricity drawn from Morocco and France, as acknowledged by Spain's Prime Minister. The nation increased its hydroelectric and combined cycle thermal power production to manage the crisis.
By 11 pm, Spain had restored approximately 50% of its power supply, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez committing to full restoration by Tuesday's end.
This incident marked Europe's second significant power disruption following the March 20 Heathrow Airport shutdown, occurring amidst heightened vigilance against potential Russian-backed interference.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
9 hours ago
- The Hindu
In Namibia, India shows a new way to engage Africa
In his address to Namibia's National Assembly in July this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi quoted a Namibian poet, invoked the symbolism of the Welwitschia mirabilis plant (the national plant) and the Springbok, and sprinkled his remarks with phrases in Oshiwambo, earning laughter and applause. The gesture suggested a deliberate effort to engage with culturally meaningful terms, reflecting a more grounded approach to partnership-building. It is a sharp contrast to western engagement, which continues to be shaped by conditional aid, travel bans, and episodic withdrawals such as the recent USAID cutback, and is increasingly tied to migration deterrence, with assistance hinging on controlling outward migrant flows. The steps being pursued India is pursuing a quieter, adaptive approach, favouring alignment over instruction and forming issue-based coalitions. Underlying this appears to be a deliberate three-step logic: evoking shared historical solidarities, engaging in present-day pragmatic cooperation, and investing in long-term, future-oriented ties. This offers insights into what more thoughtful, durable partnerships with African states might look like. The first step anchors diplomacy in a shared anti-colonial heritage, drawing on historical memory not as nostalgia, but as a legitimate force of solidarity. There are gentle but meaningful reminders: that New Delhi hosted the South West Africa People's Organization's first-ever diplomatic office during Namibia's liberation struggle; that Lieutenant General Diwan Prem Chand, an Indian officer, commanded the United Nations peacekeeping forces during Namibia's delicate transition to independence. These references are not incidental. They create a sense of long-haul engagement, contrasting with the episodic presence of many other powers. Second is to highlight the depth and the breadth of current cooperation. New Delhi's bilateral trade with Windhoek is $800 million, modest but growing, and supported by a $12 billion development partnership across Africa. More significant are India's targeted investments in capacity-building, including the India-Namibia Centre of Excellence in IT at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, and the 'India Wing' at the University of Namibia's Ongwediva campus, funded by a $12 million grant. These efforts leverage India's strengths in IT and respond to Namibia's youthful population and digital readiness. Third, and closely linked, India is laying out a road map for the future by pivoting toward knowledge-based cooperation. Namibia's recent adoption of India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the first country in Africa to implement this, signals a quiet revolution in tech diplomacy. If this succeeds, it will offer a model for transferring not just digital tools but also regulatory frameworks, institutional design, and user-centric tech architectures that India has stress-tested at scale. Advantage Namibia Crucial to this approach is the choice of partner. Namibia's political stability, rich mineral resources and growing technological base offer a strong foundation for India's engagement, grounded in shared histories and aligned futures. President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah's call to reform global economic and financial systems for fairness and resilience echoes India's own vision for inclusive, equitable governance. More than a bilateral partner, Namibia is a key collaborator in the Global South's broader effort to reshape international rules in line with their collective aspirations, agency, and demand for a more just world order. While India and Namibia share a compelling vision for partnership, consistent follow-through remains a challenge. India's developmental ambitions are often criticised for uneven implementation, and its engagement with Africa has seen long lapses, evident in the recent visit to Namibia by an Indian head of government, the first in nearly three decades. Though symbolically important, the visit's outcomes were modest: two memoranda of understanding on entrepreneurship and health, and Namibia's accession to the Global Biofuels Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. These are valuable steps but fall short of the scale the moment, and the bilateral potential, clearly calls for. Notably absent was any major agreement on Namibia's critical mineral reserves. As a leading uranium producer, Namibia is a natural partner for countries such as India seeking resilient low-carbon supply chains. The visit offered a clear opportunity to outline a strategic framework, including resource access, local workforce development, or investment in value addition. Though the issue was acknowledged, discussions ultimately failed to produce concrete outcomes. Regardless, India's approach, while not without its gaps, stands out not just for what it offers but also how it engages. India's quiet recalibration emphasises trust built through inclusive dialogue, acknowledging histories, and letting African priorities shape the agenda. Move beyond symbolism The upcoming India-Africa Forum Summit, anticipated in the near term, could serve as a vital platform to formalise and solidify these diplomatic efforts through institutional cooperation. It presents an opportunity for India to build on recent momentum and demonstrate that its commitment to partnership and mutual respect is backed by enduring political resolve. Delivering on this vision, however, will require more than symbolism. It will entail confronting structural and operational shortcomings at home and ensuring that India's strategic ambitions are matched by sustained investment and institutional coherence. Ultimately, India's credibility as a Global South partner will rest not only on what it commits to but also on how consistently and collaboratively it follows through. Veda Vaidyanathan is Fellow, Foreign Policy and Security Studies at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress. The views expressed are personal
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Time of India
Hampi not just tourist place, it's sacred: Ex-ambassador to Unesco
Bengaluru: The kind of tourism that has developed in Hampi is not very congenial to the site, retired IAS officer Chiranjiv Singh noted during an event in Bengaluru Sunday. "Hampi is not just a tourist place, it is a sacred place," Singh, a former Indian Ambassador to Unesco, said at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (BVB) here. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He threw light on how tourism often spoils heritage sites. Giving examples of how European nations limit tourism, he insisted on preserving and protecting Hampi from the problems brought about by it. Singh spoke after launching the book 'The Empire of the God King' by Tirumala Venkata Devayara, the 20th descendant of the Emperor Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara. Devaraya, a graduate in history from the University of Durham, is preparing to begin pursuing his master's at the SOAS University of London. BVB chairman KG Raghavan lamented the interference of govt bodies in history education. "Govts want to train young minds to suit their understanding of what history ought to be. That is a grave danger for the preservation of our culture," he said. In an interactive session moderated by art critic Jyothi Raghuram, the author said that his main sources of historical material were travelogues by Portuguese and Italian travellers who described Hampi. The 24-year-old also expressed his desire to return to India after his studies.
The Print
10 hours ago
- The Print
Fewer South Koreans & Israelis, more South Africans now see India favourably—latest Pew survey
The Pew survey was carried out this year from January to April across 24 countries, just before the Pahalgam terror attack and the announcement of tariffs on Indian imports by US President Donald Trump. Its findings were made public on 13 August. Significantly, in South Korea, favourability fell by 16 percentage points from 2024, while in the US opinion was almost evenly divided. New Delhi: Up to 60 percent or more respondents in Kenya, the UK and Israel hold a highly favourable opinion of India, while most respondents in Turkey and Australia held an unfavourable view, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. In roughly half of the surveyed countries, more respondents held a positive view of India than a negative one, the survey report notes. Also, in half of the countries surveyed, men were more likely than women to have a favourable view of India, with differences by gender in double digits in Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, Argentina and France. The report also indicated a gradual change in perception of India in several countries, with 46 percent respondents in South Africa expressing a favourable opinion, marking the highest level since 2008 when the question was first asked, and up 17 percentage points since 2023. The shift can be attributed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposing in August 2023 that African nations, including South Africa, be granted permanent membership in the G20. In 2024, both countries also collaborated to establish the India-South Africa Chamber of Commerce. In a few European nations, views of India have gone up favourably, including by double digits in France and Germany, according to the survey. The two nations showed improvements of 11 and 10 percentage points, respectively, since 2023, compared to Italy, which showed a modest rise of 2 percentage points in favourability towards the subcontinent. In the Asia-Pacific region, respondents' views on India have remained relatively stable, with Australia maintaining the same percentage in 2024 and 2025, while Indonesia saw a slight increase in favourable views from 51 percent in 2024 to 57 percent in 2025. Conversely, perceptions in South Korea have declined to 42 percent this year from 58 percent in 2024. The Pew Research Centre conducted this survey following the inauguration of the Indian embassy in North Korea in December 2024. The Japanese hold India in high esteem, with favourable views rising to 58 percent this year from 55 percent last year. Also, while the majority of Israelis continue to maintain a positive perception of India, there has been a decline in favourability by 11 percentage points since 2023. The survey highlighted uncertainty among women from France, Poland, Hungary, Australia, and South Africa regarding their opinions of India. Views also varied by age in six countries, the survey noted. Young individuals from nations such as Brazil, the Netherlands, Japan, and the UK tend to have more favourable views than their older counterparts. For example, adults younger than 35 in the UK were 20 points more likely than adults 50 and above to have a good opinion of India. The survey also indicated that opinion of India varied along ideological lines in five countries. In Australia, Nigeria and South Africa, those on the ideological Right view India more favourably than those on the ideological Left. In the US and Mexico, the reverse is true, according to the survey. Neetu Sharma is an alum of ThePrint School of Journalism, currently interning with ThePrint. (Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui) Also Read: 'Nones' were 3rd largest group globally after Christians, Muslims in 2010-2020, finds Pew survey
