IN PICTURES: Nationwide blackout causes chaos in Spain
Towns and cities across mainland Spain were affected by the massive outage which hit at around 12.30pm on Monday.
The cause of the blackout is still under investigation and authorities say it is likely to take up to 10 hours to restore the power to all regions.
Find the latest on the blackouts HERE.
A Police officer gestures to organise traffic during a massive power cut, which also knocked out traffic lights leading to widespread traffic jams. Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP
The power outages brought transport services to a halt with trains stopped and city public transport blocked - police in cities were deployed to rescue Metro passengers stuck in tunnels. There were widespread traffic jams as traffic lights went out.
People leave the Atocha train station in Madrid after its closure as a massive power outage hits Spain on April 28, 2025. Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP
Staff stand in a closed pharmacy with no lights. Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP
Businesses were forced to close with card payments affected and there were reports of shops in Madrid closing up for fear of looting.
Vehicles queue on the M30 ring road in Madrid as a massive power outage hits Spain on April 28, 2025. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)
Hospitals, which usually have their own generators, were mostly able to continue as normal but non-emergency medical services were suspended.
Local residents attempt to manually open the gate of an underground parking lot during a massive power cut in Vigo, northwestern Spain. Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP
Police asked people to remain at home and avoid calling the emergency services unless completely necessary, as networks became overwhelmed.
Customers buy gas bottles in a petrol station. Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP
The power outages also affected Portugal and some homes in France's Pays Basque, although the French electricity network operator said that power to the French homes was quickly restored.
Vehicles and pedestrians circulate as traffic lights are off during a massive power cut affecting the entire Iberian peninsula and the south of France, in Madrid on April 28, 2025. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)
🇪🇸🇵🇹🇫🇷 — De vastes zones d'Espagne, du Portugal et de France subissent des pannes de courant.
➡️Les stations de radio espagnoles ont ordonné l'évacuation du métro de Madrid, et le métro de Lisbonne au Portugal est en cours d'évacuation.
➡️Des embouteillages sont signalés dans… pic.twitter.com/3Zu8hoW5Eg
— OSINTYB (@OsintYB) April 28, 2025
The French network operator RTE said it was working with Spain to help restore power to the grid.
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Claim that Spain's blackout was caused by rare weather event debunked
Energy Portuguese power network operator REN denied on Tuesday it was behind a message circulated on social media attributing the massive blackout across the Iberian peninsula to a rare atmospheric event. Barely a corner of the peninsula, which has a joint population of almost 60 million people, escaped Monday's power outage. No firm cause has yet emerged. "REN confirms we did not put out this statement," spokesman Bruno Silva told AFP, without giving further details. The message in Portuguese circulating on social media said the shutdown was due to "a fault in the Spanish electricity grid linked to a rare atmospheric phenomenon". "Due to extreme temperature variations in inland Spain, abnormal oscillations were recorded in the very high-voltage lines (400 kV), a phenomenon known as 'induced atmospheric vibration'," the message said. The Spanish weather office (AEMET) said on Tuesday it had not detected any unusual meteorological or atmospheric phenomena on Monday and nor had there been any sudden temperature changes. Spanish grid operator REE has ruled out any "cybersecurity incident" as a cause. More #Energy
Local Spain
28-04-2025
- Local Spain
IN PICTURES: Nationwide blackout causes chaos in Spain
Towns and cities across mainland Spain were affected by the massive outage which hit at around 12.30pm on Monday. The cause of the blackout is still under investigation and authorities say it is likely to take up to 10 hours to restore the power to all regions. Find the latest on the blackouts HERE. A Police officer gestures to organise traffic during a massive power cut, which also knocked out traffic lights leading to widespread traffic jams. Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP The power outages brought transport services to a halt with trains stopped and city public transport blocked - police in cities were deployed to rescue Metro passengers stuck in tunnels. There were widespread traffic jams as traffic lights went out. People leave the Atocha train station in Madrid after its closure as a massive power outage hits Spain on April 28, 2025. Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP Staff stand in a closed pharmacy with no lights. Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP Businesses were forced to close with card payments affected and there were reports of shops in Madrid closing up for fear of looting. Vehicles queue on the M30 ring road in Madrid as a massive power outage hits Spain on April 28, 2025. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP) Hospitals, which usually have their own generators, were mostly able to continue as normal but non-emergency medical services were suspended. Local residents attempt to manually open the gate of an underground parking lot during a massive power cut in Vigo, northwestern Spain. Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP Police asked people to remain at home and avoid calling the emergency services unless completely necessary, as networks became overwhelmed. Customers buy gas bottles in a petrol station. Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP The power outages also affected Portugal and some homes in France's Pays Basque, although the French electricity network operator said that power to the French homes was quickly restored. Vehicles and pedestrians circulate as traffic lights are off during a massive power cut affecting the entire Iberian peninsula and the south of France, in Madrid on April 28, 2025. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP) 🇪🇸🇵🇹🇫🇷 — De vastes zones d'Espagne, du Portugal et de France subissent des pannes de courant. ➡️Les stations de radio espagnoles ont ordonné l'évacuation du métro de Madrid, et le métro de Lisbonne au Portugal est en cours d'évacuation. ➡️Des embouteillages sont signalés dans… — OSINTYB (@OsintYB) April 28, 2025 The French network operator RTE said it was working with Spain to help restore power to the grid.
Local Spain
05-01-2025
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Snow, ice snarls post-holiday travel in Spain and other parts of Europe
Here is a roundup of some of the Western European countries affected by the winter weather conditions: Spain In Spain, travellers faced major delays of up to 3.5 hours. Some flights arriving at Madrid and Barcelona airports from European destinations were cancelled, including travel from Frankfurt, Cologne, Munich, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Liverpool, Manchester, London and Paris, according to the airports' respective websites. A spokeswoman for Aena, the company that operates 46 airports in Spain, said "there may be alterations to operations" due to adverse weather in other countries but could not provide any figures. None of Spain was affected by snow or ice warnings on Sunday, but a yellow-level warning for wind was in place for parts of the north. Britain Airports in the northwestern cities of Manchester and Liverpool, central Birmingham and western Bristol reopened Sunday after heavy snow across large parts of England forced runway closures. Northern Leeds Bradford airport however said its runway would remain closed until further notice. The snow also left some key roads in northern England shut with the rail line between northern Leeds and Halifax suspended due to the weather conditions. Germany Snow and black ice forced the cancellation Sunday of dozens of flights at Frankfurt airport, Germany's largest. A total of 120 of some 1,990 flights at the airport in the country's west were cancelled, with a spokesperson telling AFP take-off and landing runways needed clearing while "de-icing the planes is also more complex and more demanding". Poor visibility was another factor behind the annulations. In Munich, 35 flights were cancelled as a precaution late Saturday evening out of a total of 750 departures and landings scheduled at Germany's second largest airport, a spokesperson said. The meteorological office warned of freezing rain on Sunday after snowfall overnight and recommended passengers avoid unnecessary travel. Netherlands At Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, a major European hub, 68 flights were cancelled and more than 200 were delayed due to snowy conditions, according to the airport website. Schiphol Airport on its website also warned passengers to check the status of their flight before travelling. The cancellations were mainly to European destinations, but long-haul flights also suffered with services scrapped to Newark and Detroit in the United States.
