Power restored to 99 percent of mainland Spain after massive blackout

Lights flickered back to life across Spain and Portugal on Tuesday following a significant blackout that left millions without electricity, stranding travelers and disrupting daily life. The blackout, which affected nearly the entire Iberian Peninsula, saw power restored to over 99 percent of mainland Spain early in the day, according to the REE power operator, with cities like Madrid and Lisbon regaining their illumination.

The outage, which impacted a joint population of close to 60 million, has left authorities searching for answers. While no definitive cause has been established, speculation has arisen on social media regarding possible cyberattacks. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro suggested that the source of the outage likely originated in Spain, while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez emphasized that all potential causes are under investigation, urging the public to avoid speculation due to the risk of misinformation.

Sanchez reported that around 15 gigawatts of electricity, accounting for more than half of the power consumption at the time, abruptly vanished within a mere five seconds. He could not provide a timeline for complete restoration but indicated that some workers may need to remain at home on Tuesday. Montenegro assured that power would be restored in Portugal within hours.

In Portugal, electricity was reinstated to approximately 6.2 million households out of a total of 6.5 million, as reported by the national electricity grid operator. The outage also briefly affected parts of southwest France, while Morocco experienced disruptions in internet services and airport check-in systems.

The impact on daily life was immediate and chaotic. Carlos Candori, a 19-year-old construction worker stranded in the Madrid metro, expressed his frustration: "This has never happened in Spain. There's no phone coverage, I can't call my family, my parents, nothing; I can't even go to work," he lamented.

As panic set in, residents in Madrid and other cities rushed to withdraw cash from banks, leading to long lines as people sought reliable phone signals. With traffic lights out of commission, police faced challenges in managing congested roadways, prompting officials to advise motorists to stay off the streets.

Regional authorities reported that 286 rescue operations were conducted to free individuals trapped in elevators. Train services were halted nationwide, with three trains still immobilized with passengers on board as of Tuesday morning, according to Transport Minister Oscar Puente. While some high-speed rail lines were expected to resume normal service, disruptions persisted in various regions.

Spain's nuclear power plants automatically shut down as a precautionary measure, with diesel generators employed to maintain safety conditions, noted the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN). Sanchez remarked on the "serious disruption" caused by the blackout, highlighting the economic losses affecting businesses and industries.

The European Commission has been in communication with Spain and Portugal regarding the crisis, while European Council President Antonio Costa reassured that there were no signs of a cyberattack. The blackout also led to flight disruptions at major airports in Madrid, Barcelona, and Lisbon, as reported by European air traffic organization Eurocontrol.

In Barcelona, chaos erupted as locals and tourists flooded the streets seeking information. Student Laia Montserrat recounted being sent home from school due to the power failure, stating, "As the internet wasn't coming back, they told us to go home... but there weren't trains either. Now we don't know what to do."

The blackout's effects extended to Spain's digital infrastructure, with monitoring site Netblocks reporting a dramatic drop in web connections to just 17 percent of normal levels. While hospitals managed to use backup generators for critical wards, some units struggled without power.

This incident is not isolated; massive blackouts have plagued countries worldwide in recent years, including Tunisia, Sri Lanka, and Argentina. In Europe, a notable outage in November 2006 left ten million people without power for an hour across several countries, including Spain, due to a grid failure in Germany.