Spain-Portugal power outage live: blackout causes huge disruption

Times

28-04-2025

Portugal's cybersecurity watchdog has said that 'no evidence has been identified to date that points to a cyberattack' as the cause of the blackout that is affecting the Iberian peninsula.
In a statement, the National Cybersecurity Centre said: 'After contacting the relevant entities, it was found that this is a failure that affected some European countries. We are in contact with our counterparts in these countries and with the relevant national entities.
'No evidence has been identified to date that points to a cyberattack. We draw attention to the circulation of misinformation that occurs in these situations, so we advise consulting or confirming information with reliable sources.'
Rescue workers have been attempting to evacuate passengers who became stuck on trains after the power failed.
One high speed train between Seville had been heading towards Barcelona when it was halted in the countryside outside Zaragoza. Passengers reported being stationary for two and half hours with no electricity, wifi or air conditioning.
Firefighters who boarded the train said the priority was to open all the doors to ventilate the train, while avoiding a panicked rush by passengers to escape, as they tried to arrange an organised evacuation.
'We opened the doors to help ventilate the train for the young and old,' Ruben Sole, 36, a firefighter, said. 'I've never seen this [the power cut] before on a train like this — it happens in cities but not on the train.'
Experts said hospitals and other vital infrastructure should have back-up systems to avoid catastrophe. However the knock-on effects from the power cuts could get worse the longer they continue.
Dr Rowena Hill, professor of resilience, emergencies and disaster science at Nottingham Trent University, said: 'If the electricity is out across the board, there are further implications the longer things go on. Not being able to get cash, not being able to process transactions, not being able to get fuel, the electricity might also ink to water or sewerage pumps and so that has a consequence for the younger and older populations quite quickly.
'But immediate thoughts are for those who have care support in the community that is electricity dependent. The acute health points are likely to have backup generators.'
Part of France was also affected 'for a few minutes in the Basque Country', French television reported.
Homes 'were deprived of power' but 'all power has since been restored' , according to RTE, France's transmission system operator, which is mobilising to 'provide assistance'to its Spanish neighbour.
Portugal's minister for national defence, Nuno Melo, has appealed for people to remain calm and said that the causes of the power failure are not yet known.
There have been some reports of panic buying at Spanish and Portuguese supermarkets due to the cuts, which appear to have left some homes without running water, if they are usually supplied by electric pumps.
Ben Lambert, a British expatriate based near Lisbon, said that there were 'huge queues' at his local supermarket as people rushed to buy pasta, tins of food and long life milk.
'The water had sold out within an hour,' he said. 'Many local supermarkets are shut — but I was able to find one that has a generator.'
Vasco Carou, 36, a builder who lives outside Lisbon, had also gone out to pick up supplies.
He said: 'I think the panic is starting to set in because people remember the times when they had to stockpile in the pandemic. The fear here is real. Everyone is afraid.'
Madrid's mayor has called on all residents to stay at home and avoid travel.
'I ask all residents of Madrid to keep their movements to an absolute minimum and, if at all possible, to remain where they are. We want to keep all roads clear,' Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida said.
He also urged residents to only call emergency services if it is 'truly urgent' and said they should go to police and fire stations in person if calls go unanswered.
In the wake of the power cuts heavy congestion has been reported in major cities, while crowds of people have gathered at airports and train stations, after routes were cancelled.
There have been reports of people being stuck inside lifts or stranded on trains after power supplies failed.
Landing restrictions introduced at big airports in Spain and Portugal will affect hundreds of flights to and from the UK.
FlightRadar24, the tracking website, reported that Lisbon will have no arrivals until 5.30pm local time (4.30pm UK). There will be a reduced landing rate afterwards.
There are also reduced landings at Barcelona and Madrid airports.
Cirium, the aviation analysts, reported that there are 399 scheduled departures from UK airports to Spain — equating to over 75,000 seats — for Monday. There are 105 departures from UK airports to Portugal, equating to just under 20,000 seats.
Aena, which operates dozens of airports in Spain, advised travellers to 'check with your airline, as there may be issues with access and ground transportation'.
Spain's government said it was investigating the cause, but urged residents to remain at home to avoid traffic chaos.
'The government is working to identify the origin of this incident and dedicating all possible resources to resolve it as quickly as possible,' the office the prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, said.
Videos on social media showed confusion and congestion on the roads after traffic lights in major cities such as Madrid failed. Thousands of travellers at trains and at airports have been affected.
Hospital services are reported to be reduced to 'basic'.
Spain's Red Eléctrica said the blackout was 'exceptional and totally extraordinary' and could take six to ten hours to repair.
According to Red Eléctrica, from 1pm onwards, voltage began to be restored in the north and south of Spain, which it said would help to progressively restore the electricity supply nationwide.
In Portugal, the blackout is also widespread. The government said the incident appeared to stem from problems outside the country.