Spain rules out that cyberattack caused nationwide blackout
Authorities have been scrambling to find answers more than two weeks after the April 28th outage cut telecommunications, halted transport and plunged cities into darkness across Spain and Portugal.
Spanish grid operator Red Electrica said it had detected no "cybersecurity incident" during the crisis, after the government had refused to rule out any potential explanation.
"After analysing all the relevant data, we have not found indications that the system operator was targeted by a cyberattack," Ecological Transition Minister Sara Aagesen told parliament.
Aagesen provided a detailed chronology of events, saying two major power fluctuations were recorded in the half-hour before the grid collapse at 12:33 pm (1033 GMT).
She also revealed the precise location of three incidents that triggered the outage, substations in the southern provinces of Granada, Badajoz and Seville.
Authorities are analysing a possible link between the fluctuations and the blackout alongside hundreds of millions of pieces of data by electricity companies and Red Eléctrica, Aagesen said.
She also hit out at criticism from the right-wing opposition, which has questioned the Socialist-led government's increasing reliance on renewable energy and a planned phase-out of nuclear power.
The investigation into the outage "will last as long as necessary" and "we will not allow hastiness to take us away from the truth", Aagesen said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Local Spain
a day ago
- Local Spain
EXPLAINED: Spain's new residency option for family members of Spaniards
Immigration For Members Spain's new Immigration Law has opened up a new residency route for non-EU family members of Spaniards. Here are the rights it grants, who can apply, the requirements and more. The reform, which was wide ranging and encompassed changes in everything to the status of foreign students and the job-seeker visas to cutting waiting times for undocumented migrants to regularise their situation. But now foreigners who are related to a Spanish national can access the so-called 'Temporary Residence for Relatives of Spaniards', or a utorización de residencia temporal de familiares de personas con nacionalidad española to give it its full name in Spanish. What is it? Essentially this new procedure provides residency authorisation and regularisation for family members of Spanish citizens who are not themselves nationals from either the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland. In practice it's quite similar to the pre-existing Tarjeta de Familiar de Comunitario (Residency permit of Family Member of EU national) on a European level, but with important new features that broaden access, residency rights and guarantee greater legal certainty for family members. Who can apply for it? As you might expect, there are several requirements to qualify for this residency authorisation. Those who live with the Spanish national and are in at least one of the following situations can apply: Spouse over 18 years of age. Registered partners. Unregistered partners, but with a proven stable relationship (at least 12 continuous months or with shared children). Children under 26 years of age (raised from 21). First-degree ascendants of the Spanish citizen or his/her spouse/partner if they are dependents. Parents or guardians of a Spanish minor, if they live together or are up to date with parental obligations. Relatives up to the second degree who care for a Spanish citizen with recognised dependency. Children of Spaniards by origin. What documents are needed to apply? You'll need solid documentary evidence to back up your application, including: From the Spanish relative: Copy of DNI or passport Declaration that another spouse or partner does not reside in Spain From the foreign relative: Valid passport Proof of the family relationship Proof of being a dependent (if applicable) For couples: proof of cohabitation and common offspring if applicable What residency rights does it grant? The Temporary Residence for Relatives of Spaniards provides non-EU nationals with several benefits. According to España Abogados: The right to reside and work as an employee or self-employed person throughout Spain Initial residency rights of 5 years (or less, if the Spaniard's period of residence is less) Possibility of renewal for another 5 years if all requirements are met Allows subsequent family regrouping If both the Spanish citizen and the foreigner are outside Spain, a visa must be applied for at the Spanish Consulate in the foreigner's country of residence. This Spanish family member visa will allow entry into Spain, where residence can be formalised at a later date. If both are already in Spain, the residency application must be submitted to the Foreigners' Office. See Also
Local Spain
a day ago
- Local Spain
How would Spain's proposed 21% VAT rate on tourist flats work?
A new proposal by the Spanish government could mean that up to 80 percent of tourist flats in Spain pay VAT, known as IVA (El Impuesto sobre el Valor Añadido) in Spanish. The ruling Socialist-led coalition recently presented a draft bill intended to ease access to housing, especially rentals, among Spaniards. The post-pandemic increase in the number of tourist flats (pisos turísticos) in Spain have been blamed by many across the country for cutting market supply and raising prices. Among the proposed measures, charging VAT on tourist flats is an attempt to dissuade landlords from renting to tourists. Currently, holiday flats that also provide hotel services, such as cleaning or bed linen changes, must pay the same VAT as a hotel, a rate of 10 percent. However, the new proposals would change that quite substantially. The government wants to impose a higher rate of 21 percent on tourist flats rented to the same tenant for no more than 30 nights in municipalities with over 10,000 inhabitants, even if they do not provide hotel services. If the bill goes through the Spanish Congress and is approved, around 295,000 tourist flats will be obliged to pay the new rate. The text proposes that short-term rentals (of less than 30 nights) should be taxed like any other economic activity. This affects around 80 percent of all registered tourist homes in Spain and more than 368,000 in total, according to the latest data from Spain's national stats body, INE. 'It is a matter of tourist homes being taxed as what they are: an economic activity,' said Isabel Rodríguez, Minister for Housing and the Urban Agenda, in a press conference presenting the draft legislation. The idea will be debated in Congress during the first half of June. However, the measure, if passed, will very likely be challenged in court as some tax experts warn that the measure is unconstitutional, according to reports in the Spanish media. That means the measure is far from certain to happen. What's the current law on VAT for holiday rentals in Spain and what would change? As currently constructed, the law means that VAT is only levied on holiday rentals when the accommodation offers extra-hotel services – servicios extrahoteleros in Spanish — and at the lower 10 percent rate. In most cases, the services provided by managers and owners of holiday homes are limited to handing over the keys, cleaning at each departure, and little more. In these cases, short-term tourist rentals are legally equivalent to renting a flat or dwelling and are therefore exempt from VAT. However, when hotel services are offered like daily cleaning or breakfasts, VAT has to be applied. Without the reform pushed by the government, the Spanish tax authorities do not consider the length of stay as a condition or determinant when declaring the rental income of a holiday home. The government wants to widen the net of holiday rentals that pay VAT while simultaneously increasing the rate by more than double. Which holiday rentals pay VAT? Under the current rules, according to Spanish property website Idealista other circumstances that make a holiday rental liable to VAT include: Why does the government want to do this? By widening the number of tourist flats that can be charged VAT, the Spanish government aims to, firstly, increase tax revenues, but secondly, and perhaps most importantly, disincentivise landlords from putting their property on the tourist market as opposed to the long-term rental market. However, the move also mirrors European legislation. The European VAT in the Digital Age
Local Spain
2 days ago
- Local Spain
Why is Spain so vulnerable to cyberattacks?
Spain faces a new challenge: strengthening its online security. In recent months, there have been several major cyber attacks, including data breaches at Telefónica, the country's main telecoms company. Other major players have also been hacked: Santander Bank, the Orange phone network, Iberdrola energy company, numerous stock exchange listed companies, even Spain's Armed Forces. In fact, roughly a third of all cyberattacks in Spain are directed at public administrations. Although a cyberattack has been officially ruled out as the cause of Spain's nationwide blackout on April 28th, there are still voices claiming that there isn't enough data to completely discard that possibility. According to Francisco Valencia, CEO of security firm Secure&IT, Spain has historically fluctuated between third and fifth place globally in terms of its propensity to cyberattacks, but in 2025 it stands in second place. So why is it so vulnerable and why are criminals targeting Spain? According to data from CybersecurityNews, cyberattacks have risen by 35 percent this year in Spain, reaching more than 45,000 incidents per day. Between late February and early March, attacks increased by 750 percent compared to the same period last year, according HackManac, a company which monitors global cyber threats. During the week of March 5-11th 2025, Spain was the most targeted country in the world and Spain is also the third-most attacked country by pro-Russian hackers. According to Secure&IT's CEO, Spain has a commercial presence in all international markets and occupies a prominent position in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Its geographical location, at the westernmost point of the European continent, also reinforces its strategic value as a link between Europe and America. More importantly though he explains that "Before Brexit, the United Kingdom was the second most attacked country in the world,", due to its capacity to destabilise the EU. During this time, as well as during the start of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Spain temporarily dropped in the rankings, but now it has become a prime target once again. At the Global Cyber Security Congress in Barcelona, they also explained that Spanish companies had undergone a rapid digital transformation, which is a key goal of the EU's Next Generation Funds. As they've done so, however, many have "failed to invest sufficiently in cybersecurity systems, making them easy targets for cybercriminals". This is made worse by the rise in ransomware attacks, which have surged by 120 percent and caused financial losses, particularly for small businesses. According to CybersecurityNews, they can lose between €2,500 and €60,000 per attack, while damage to a large company can often be more than €5.5 million. The Spanish government has not made any comment regarding the ranking, but it has warned about the growing threat of cyberattacks. At the end of April, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez did admit that "Spain is subject to more than a thousand cyberattacks on essential services and critical infrastructure each year'. The PM explained that many of these attacks don't appear in the media, but they directly affect targets such as hospitals and airports. "So far, our systems have managed to repel the most serious ones and contain the impact of the rest, but the threat, far from disappearing, is clearly growing stronger every day," he stated. Sánchez's new plan aims to boost new telecommunications and cybersecurity capabilities, both military and civilian. It will include new satellites, 5G infrastructure, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and cloud capabilities. We want to "create a digital shield for Spain', Sánchez explained. According to Secure&IT's latest reports, cybercrime now represents a global cost of 1.5 percent of the world's GDP. In 2024 alone, cyberattacks increased by 64 percent compared to the previous year, according to data from Spanish cybersecurity company CCN-CERT. "Digital crime has it all: it's profitable, scalable, and anonymous. There are even platforms that assess the reputation of malware providers," Valencia said.
