Ukraine offers Spain and Portugal emergency help to restore power networks after massive blackouts across Iberian Peninsula
Ukraine offers Spain, Portugal help to restore power networks after blackouts after major power failures hit the Iberian Peninsula. On Sunday, April 28, 2025, around 12:30 PM local time, the power grid in Spain and Portugal suffered massive disruptions when the Iberian network disconnected automatically from the broader European electricity system. Parts of southern France were also affected, leaving millions without electricity for hours.
#Pahalgam Terrorist Attack
India stares at a 'water bomb' threat as it freezes Indus Treaty
India readies short, mid & long-term Indus River plans
Shehbaz Sharif calls India's stand "worn-out narrative"
Seeing the impact, Ukraine quickly stepped forward. Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko publicly announced that Ukraine is ready to assist Spain and Portugal by sharing its hard-learned expertise in restoring power grids under extreme pressure. "We have developed unique knowledge through our experiences during the war," Galushchenko said, as reported by HuffingtonPost.es.
Over the past two years, Ukraine's energy workers have battled constant blackouts caused by targeted attacks, making them some of the most experienced crews in emergency network restoration across Europe today.
5
5
Next
Stay
Playback speed
1x Normal
Back
0.25x
0.5x
1x Normal
1.5x
2x
5
5
/
Skip
Ads by
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Google Brain Co-Founder Breaks His Silence: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around
Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List
Undo
Spain-Portugal Power Outages: What We Know About The Massive Blackout Disrupting Millions- The Spain-Portugal power outages have thrown much of the Iberian Peninsula into darkness today, disrupting travel, communication, and daily life across two countries. Millions are affected, and authorities are racing to restore stability.
Energy grid operators, government officials, and emergency services are working together to manage one of the biggest infrastructure failures Spain and Portugal have seen in years.
Live Events
How Did the Spain-Portugal Power Outages Start and What Areas Are Affected?
The massive Spain-Portugal blackout began shortly after 12:30 p.m. local time (6:30 a.m. ET) today, according to Spain's national broadcaster RTVE. The sudden failure left cities like Madrid, Lisbon, and even parts of northwestern Spain in darkness.
Not just streetlights, but major services were paralyzed:
Madrid's subway stations and even the Spanish Parliament building lost power.
In Lisbon, traffic lights failed, causing gridlock.
Across northwestern Spain, marketplaces went dark, and businesses shut their doors.
The blackout didn't stop at Spain and Portugal either. Reports suggest that parts of France and Germany also felt ripple effects. However, officials haven't confirmed the full extent outside Iberia yet.
How is Ukraine helping Spain and Portugal recover from the blackouts?
Ukraine's offer to help is not just symbolic. Ukrainian energy teams have been operating under wartime conditions for more than two years now. Every winter, they have dealt with hundreds of attacks on power plants and transmission lines. Despite losing nearly 40% of their generating capacity during peak times, Ukraine managed to keep essential electricity flowing across the country.
Now, Ukraine offers Spain, Portugal help to restore power networks after blackouts by sharing field-tested strategies for quick infrastructure repairs, grid stabilization techniques, and rapid response methods. According to Minister Galushchenko, Ukraine can send technical advisors, planning teams, and even mobile repair units if needed.
This cooperation reflects the strong ties that have been growing between Ukraine and European countries. Spain, for instance, donated dozens of mobile electricity generators to Ukraine in the past winters, helping hospitals and critical services stay operational. As quoted in La Moncloa, Spain pledged continuous support to Ukraine's energy sector.
Ukraine's gesture is seen not just as help in a time of crisis, but as a deepening of mutual trust and support among European allies.
What Are Officials Saying About the Cause of the Blackout?
Right now, there's no clear explanation for the Spain-Portugal power outage, although several possibilities are on the table.
European Council President António Costa said on X (formerly Twitter) that "there are no indications of any cyberattack" at this stage. Grid operators are still investigating the root cause.
However, some voices from Portugal hint otherwise. According to the Portuguese news agency Lusa, Territorial Cohesion Minister Manuel Castro Almeida said there's a chance the outage could be linked to a malicious cyberattack. Still, Portugal's National Cyber Security Centre quickly countered that, stating 'no evidence has yet been identified that points to a cyberattack.'
Meanwhile, Ukraine's Minister of Energy German Galushchenko offered to help. In a statement, he said Ukraine would share knowledge gained from resisting Russian attacks on energy infrastructure. He emphasized Ukraine's readiness to support partners and allies in restoring stable power supplies.
How Are Travel and Transportation Systems Affected Across Spain and Portugal?
Travel chaos spread almost immediately after the Spain-Portugal blackout began. Here's a snapshot of the disruptions:
Renfe, Spain's rail operator, suspended all train services. "The entire national electricity grid was cut off," Renfe stated.
TAP Portugal, the country's national airline, asked passengers not to travel to airports until further notice, explaining that airport operations were severely limited.
Madrid's mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, urged residents to stay put and keep roads clear for emergency services. Several road tunnels were shut down, and traffic lights remained dead across the capital.
How Long Will It Take to Restore Electricity in Spain and Portugal?
According to Red Eléctrica, Spain's energy distributor, restoring power could take 6 to 10 hours.
Eduardo Prieto, head of operations at Red Eléctrica, described the event as "exceptional and extraordinary" during a news conference.
Power is slowly coming back in parts of northern and southern Spain, but full restoration across both countries could take most of the day, if not longer.
The blackout even interrupted events like the Madrid Open, where tennis players were forced to leave midmatch as scoreboards, lights, and cameras all failed. Organizers posted on X, promising they were "working to restore normality as soon as possible."
Could the Blackout in Spain and Portugal happen again?
Right now, officials are focusing on getting the lights back on, but many are asking if this is just the beginning.
The Portuguese government is forming a special working group to monitor the situation closely. They're also investigating whether the root cause might lie outside their borders.
While no official link to cyberattacks has been established yet, today's events underline how vulnerable modern power grids are — not just to technical failures but possibly to external threats too.
The Spain-Portugal power outages have caused major disruption across the Iberian Peninsula, affecting everything from public transport to sporting events.
FAQs:
Q1: What caused the Spain-Portugal power outages?
A:
The exact cause isn't clear yet, but early reports say no cyberattack evidence has been found.
Q2: How long will it take to restore power in Spain and Portugal?
A:
Red Eléctrica says it could take around 6 to 10 hours to fully restore electricity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
Germany, France back expanding joint TV channel
HighlightsBerlin and Paris plan to expand the Arte television channel into a major European platform to combat disinformation from rival powers. The long-term goal of Arte executives is to transform the channel into a multilingual streaming service that includes news, films, and series. German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer emphasized the need for Europe to amplify its voice of freedom in response to Russian and Chinese disinformation efforts. Berlin and Paris want to expand the TV channel Arte into a major European platform amid concerns about rival powers spreading disinformation, Germany's culture minister said Wednesday. The publicly funded French and German language channel is known for covering cultural events and producing highbrow dramas. The long-term goal is to expand it into a streaming service in numerous languages that reaches new audiences, with offerings ranging from news to films and series, according to Arte executives. Russian and Chinese efforts to spread disinformation, combined with the US administration's moves to gut government-funded international media, meant that Europe must "make its voice of freedom heard more loudly in the world," German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer said. During discussions at a meeting of European culture ministers in Paris on Wednesday, French Culture Minister Rachida Dati said the platform could contribute to countering foreign influence and populist tendencies. The idea of expanding the channel has been mooted for some time, and French President Emmanuel Macron backed the idea during a state visit to Germany last year.
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
Explained: Why gold beat Euro to become the world's second-largest reserve asset
Gold has officially dethroned the euro as the second-largest global reserve asset, trailing only the U.S. dollar, as central banks piled into the precious metal at levels not seen since the Bretton Woods era, according to a report from the European Central Bank. A mix of geopolitical risk, economic uncertainty, and gold's time-tested resilience pushed central banks to accumulate record stockpiles in 2024, vaulting bullion to historic highs in price and prestige. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Famous Celebrities With Unexpected Degrees Learn More In 2024, gold accounted for 20% of global official reserves , up from around 16.5% in 2023, overtaking the euro, which dropped to 16%, according to ECB data. The U.S. dollar remains the dominant reserve asset, holding steady at around 46%. "Gold reserves held by central banks stand at levels close to those last seen in the Bretton Woods era," the ECB report said. This surge, paired with historically high prices, "made gold the second largest global reserve asset at market prices in 2024 – after the US dollar." A flight to safety triggered by war A turning point for the bullion came with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. The geopolitical shock, coupled with surging inflation and rising interest rates, spurred a flight to so-called safe haven assets. Central banks began hoarding gold at a pace unseen in decades, a trend that has only accelerated since. Live Events In 2024, central banks accounted for more than 20% of global gold demand, a sharp jump from the 10% average seen during the 2010s. Meanwhile, consumer demand, particularly for jewelry, waned in key markets like China, but was offset by rising investor demand. Combined, investment and jewelry still made up 70% of global gold consumption. Recent price movements have been turbulent. Gold touched a series of record highs through 2024 and early 2025, though the rally has recently cooled amid fast-changing U.S. tariff policy and broader market volatility. On Thursday, gold prices edged up to a one-week high, driven by softer U.S. inflation data that fueled expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts later this year. Spot gold rose 0.2% to $3,360.29 an ounce, as of 0838 GMT, after earlier touching its highest level since June 5. U.S. gold futures were up 1.1% at $3,380.00 on Thursday. A 0.3% drop in the U.S. dollar index to a near two-month low also supported bullion, making it cheaper for non-dollar buyers. The geopolitical hedge According to the ECB report, central banks view gold primarily as a tool for portfolio diversification, while also valuing it as a hedge against geopolitical risks. A 2024 survey by the World Gold Council of nearly 60 central banks identified three main reasons for their gold holdings: '(i) a long-term store of value and an inflation hedge , (ii) (good) performance during times of crisis, and (iii) an effective portfolio diversifier.' The survey also revealed that one in four central banks from emerging and developing economies cited 'concerns about sanctions' or 'the anticipation of changes in the international monetary system' as reasons for boosting their gold exposure. Notably, China, India, and Turkey, countries navigating complex geopolitical alignments, have collectively added more than 600 tonnes of gold to their reserves since the end of 2021. The ECB noted that 'countries that are geopolitically close to China and Russia have seen more marked increases in the share of gold in their official foreign reserves since the last quarter of 2021.' Breaking the link with real yields Historically, gold prices have been negatively correlated with real interest rates, offering a hedge against inflation and low nominal yields. But the ECB found that this correlation 'broke down after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine,' indicating that geopolitical factors now dominate gold price dynamics. Supporting this, 'recent research indicates that imposing financial sanctions is associated with increases in the share of central bank reserves held in gold.' In fact, in five of the ten largest annual increases in gold reserve shares since 1999, the countries involved had faced sanctions in that year or the one before. Supply response and the road ahead Despite tightness in the market, the ECB noted that gold supply has historically proven elastic in response to rising demand, aided by expansion in above-ground stocks. 'If history is any guide, further increases in the official demand for gold reserves may also support further growth in global gold supply,' the report said. Still, analysts caution that central banks may be approaching their limit. After three years of aggressive buying, some institutions may be nearing their fill, with future purchases potentially tapering unless new geopolitical shocks rekindle demand. For now, gold's crown as the world's second-largest reserve asset appears secure, the ultimate hedge, in an era where uncertainty is the only constant. Also read | Gold Price Prediction: Yellow metal opens above Rs 98k/10 gms. Time to book profits?
Time of India
34 minutes ago
- Time of India
SC refuses to stay ongoing teachers recruitment exam in Andhra Pradesh
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to hear a plea for halting the ongoing teacher recruitment examinations in Andhra Pradesh and said it couldn't be stopped "midway". "We don't devise a mechanism for holding examinations. It is not our expertise," a bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan told the petitioner's counsel. The bench questioned the petitioner's counsel for not moving the Andhra Pradesh High Court first. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like You Won't Believe What These Celebrities Studied in College Learn More Undo After the counsel said the high court was on summer break, the bench said, "The High Court of Andhra Pradesh is reopening after summer vacation on June 16. In view of the above, we are not inclined to entertain this petition under Article 32 of the Constitution of India. The petitioner would be at liberty to approach the high court." The petitioner's counsel referred to the government notification and said even for a district-level recruitment, multi-shift examinations were to be conducted. Live Events "They are going for a computer-based testing and then they go for normalisation," the counsel said. The bench, however, said, "The exams have commenced. We can't stop them midway." Additional Solicitor General S V Raju informed the bench that over a lakh aspirants had already appeared in the examinations. The plea said the state government initiated the process for teachers' recruitment for filling over 16,000 posts and examinations would be conducted from June 6 to July 6.
