Spain And Portugal Power Outages: Electricity Restored In Some Regions (Live Updates)

Forbes

28-04-2025

Electricity supply has been restored to some regions of Spain and Portugal, power distributors for both countries said Monday, as a widespread power outage impacts areas in both countries and France.
Red Eléctrica, Spain's national power grid operator, said in a statement the company had restored more than 20% of the Iberian Peninsula's demand for electricity, with power 'progressively restored' across 45% of Spain's power grid.
E-Redes, Portugal's national energy supplier, told The New York Times in a statement the blackout impacted areas in Catalonia, Andalusia, Aragon, the Basque Country, Castile, Léon, Extremadura and Murcia, with other power outages along the Basque Coast and near Burgundy in France, though power had largely been restored in some of those regions.
Red Eléctrica reportedly said earlier Monday efforts to restore power across the country could take up to 10 hours, as Eduardo Prieto, Red Eléctrica's head of operations, said the blackout was 'exceptional and extraordinary.'
The Madrid Open said in a statement the tournament was canceled as a 'nationwide power-cut' affected areas in Spain, noting the decision was 'beyond the control of the organization and in order to guarantee general safety' after three matches were reportedly playing at the time the power went down.
A video of Coco Gauff's post-match interview, shortly after she defeated Belinda Bencic to reach the quarterfinals, was shared on social media and appeared to show the moment the power outages reached Spain's capital.
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A cause of the widespread power outages has not been determined, though E-Redes reportedly determined the blackout was because of 'a problem in the European power grid' while data suggests a voltage imbalance was likely responsible. António Leitão Amaro, a minister for Portugal's presidency, told Portuguese news agency Lusa the imbalance was linked to a 'problem in Spain's transportation network,' though details of this issue have not been determined. Red Eléctrica's Prieto said the blackout was caused by a 'very strong oscillation in the electrical network,' which caused Spain's power grid to 'disconnect from the European system' and collapse the Iberian Peninsula's electricity network. European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera told Politico in a statement there was 'nothing' indicating the blackout was caused by 'sabotage' or a cyberattack.
French grid operator Réseau de Transport d'Électricité (RTE) confirmed in a statement to SkyNews the country experienced brief outages this in a statement, according to Sky News. Emilie Grandidier, a spokesperson for RTE, told CNN a blackout in France's southwestern Basque Country last just a 'couple of minutes and was restored very quickly.' According to Euronews, some residents of Andorra, which borders Spain, also reported outages.
Both public transport and road traffic have been impacted across several major cities in the Iberian peninsula, including Madrid, Lisbon and Barcelona. Spain's Railway Insfrastructure and Traffic Department (Adif) announced on social media rail services for all companies are suspended 'until further notice' and advises passengers with planned trips not to go to rail stations. Earlier, Spanish train operator Renfe said all departures have been halted since 12:30 p.m. local time. The Madrid Metro also announced the stoppage of its services while reports said several underground stations were being evacuated. Barcelona's El Prat Airport is 'operating correctly with self-service,' however, according to Catalonia's government. In Portugal, the country's flag carrier TAP Air issued a statement on Facebook requesting passengers to not travel to the airport as operations have been limited. Road traffic in both countries were also impacted as clips shared on social media showed chaotic scenes at intersections as traffic lights failed to work.
The Madrid Open suspended play at the tournament earlier on Monday after the tournament said it was affected by a power outage, noting it was 'working to restore normality as soon as possible.' Three matches were playing at the time the power went down, the Associated Press reported. The Spanish Parliament in Madrid also closed on Monday.
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