Europe Power Outage 2025: What Caused the Massive Blackout in Spain, Portugal, and Beyond?

On April 28, 2025, a massive power outage affected southern Europe. Millions of people in Spain, Portugal, Andorra, and southern France were left without electricity. This blackout was one of the most serious in Europe in years, causing major problems. Important services stopped working, transportation came to a standstill, and daily life was disrupted in major cities like Madrid, Lisbon, Barcelona, and Porto. Authorities are urgently working to restore power and find out what caused the outage. This situation has sparked concerns about the strength and reliability of Europe’s electrical grid, especially since everything is so interconnected now.

A Region in Darkness

The power outage began at 11:33 in the morning local time, or 6:33 in the morning Eastern Time (ET), and affected the entire Iberian Peninsula, which includes Spain and Portugal. The blackout even reached southern France and Andorra. In Portugal, the entire country experienced the blackout, causing the Lisbon Metro and train services to stop. Traffic lights went out, creating road chaos. Mobile networks were severely impacted; phone calls were mostly unavailable, and data services barely worked. Hospitals had to rely on backup generators to function properly. Lisbon Airport shut down at about 1:00 in the afternoon, while airports in Porto and Faro operated on limited generator power.

In Spain, the situation was similarly severe. Regions like Catalonia, Andalusia, Aragon, Navarre, the Basque Country, Castile and León, Extremadura, and Murcia were all hit by the blackout. Airports in Madrid and Barcelona had delays and canceled flights. The Madrid Metro and national trains like the high-speed AVE also stopped, stranding many travelers. With traffic lights out, city streets became congested. Some metro passengers needed to be evacuated from tunnels. Businesses, restaurants, and even the Madrid Open tennis tournament had to pause due to scoreboard and lighting failures.

Southern France experienced shorter outages, notably around the Basque Coast and Burgundy, but most areas restored power quickly. Andorra also faced disruptions, though they were smaller in scale. There were rumors of minor outages in Belgium, although these reports are unconfirmed.

The Cause: A Rare Atmospheric Phenomenon or Something Else?

The cause of the blackout is still being investigated. Early reports suggest it was due to technical and environmental reasons. Portugal’s grid operator, Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN), explained the outage was caused by a rare weather event. This event was due to extreme temperature changes, which caused unusual movements in the high-voltage power lines, making the grid unstable. These movements are known as “induced atmospheric vibrations.”

Spain’s grid operator, Red Eléctrica, mentioned there was a very strong movement in the electrical network. This caused Spain’s power system to disconnect from the European grid, leading to a collapse of the power network in the Iberian region at 12:38 p.m. The director of operations at Red Eléctrica, Eduardo Prieto, described the incident as exceptional and extraordinary but didn’t speculate further about the cause.

Some reports also mentioned the possibility of a fire on the Alaric mountain in southwest France as another reason. This fire supposedly damaged a high-voltage power cable between Perpignan and eastern Narbonne. However, this has not been confirmed as the main reason for the blackout.

Initially, people were worried about a potential cyberattack. This concern arose because of Spain’s position on global issues, such as opposing Israel’s war in Gaza and supporting Ukraine against Russia. However, Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, and Teresa Ribera, Vice-President of the European Commission, stated there is no evidence of sabotage or a cyberattack. Spain’s National Cryptologic Center and Joint Cyberspace Command are still investigating to ensure no foul play was involved.

Widespread Disruption and Response

The blackout had a major and immediate effect. In Madrid, traffic became heavy because drivers had to deal with intersections without working traffic lights. The mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, asked people to limit their movement and make emergency calls only for urgent matters since the call centers were overwhelmed. In Lisbon, long lines formed at ATMs and gas stations. Supermarkets ran out of essentials like food and water as people bought supplies to prepare. Some areas even lost access to drinking water, making the situation worse.

Hospitals in both Spain and Portugal depended on backup generators. In Madrid and Catalonia, non-critical operations were stopped. At Portugal’s Curry Cabral Hospital, staff worried about vaccines spoiling because the refrigeration wasn’t working. Spain’s nuclear power plants automatically shut down for safety, and diesel generators were used to maintain safe conditions.

Governments acted quickly. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez organized emergency meetings at Red Eléctrica’s headquarters and later at Moncloa with key ministers. Portugal’s cabinet held a crisis meeting at the prime minister’s residence. The European Commission, led by President Ursula von der Leyen, worked with national authorities and the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) to keep an eye on the situation and help share information.

Restoring Power: A Race Against Time

By early afternoon, Red Eléctrica started restoring power in parts of northern, southern, and western Spain. Substations began operating gradually, but full restoration across Spain might take six to ten hours. This could mean it would not be completed until the evening. In Portugal, REN described the effort as a “complex operation.” Some areas could experience delays of up to a week to return to normal service.

Restoring power quickly was crucial because Spain relies heavily on solar energy, which decreases after sunset. Officials worked hard to get the power back before it got dark to prevent cities from falling into darkness. France’s grid operator, RTE, helped by providing additional power to northern Spain.

Human Stories Amid the Chaos

The power outage caused a lot of confusion and problems for millions. In Murcia, Teresa Garcia, who is 92, had to stay outside her building because she couldn’t take the elevator to her apartment. In Barcelona, a student named Laia Montserrat was told to go home from school but found no trains running. In Lisbon, British teacher Emily Thorowgood kept teaching her class even though it was dark. Supermarkets had empty shelves and very long lines of people waiting to buy things. On social media, people shared pictures and videos of passengers stuck without transport, metro stations with no lights, and traffic jams. Some joked about needing the “72-hour survival kits” that the European Commission had suggested.

A Wake-Up Call for Europe’s Grid?

This power outage is one of the biggest in Europe since 2006, when 15 million homes lost power. It highlights the weaknesses in connected power grids. In the past, there were similar issues, like the 2003 blackout between Italy and Switzerland and another that Germany triggered in 2006. The 2025 incident led to many saying we need to spend more money to make the grid stronger. This is important because Europe is using more energy and facing weather problems due to climate change.

The operator in Portugal talked about a “rare atmospheric phenomenon.” This raises questions about how extreme weather affects our infrastructure, especially when climate change causes large temperature changes. There are also reports, though not confirmed, about a fire harming a power line in France. This shows we need to take good care of and keep an eye on high-voltage lines to prevent further issues.

Looking Ahead

As electricity returns, people are focused on understanding why the power went out and how to prevent it from happening again. The European Commission is committed to working with various countries to study the incident and enhance their rules in line with the EU’s emergency and restoration network code. Meanwhile, individuals and businesses across southern Europe are assessing the financial impact of the day-long power outage.

For travelers, this incident is a reminder to verify flight schedules as airports and transport hubs are gradually returning to normal. For governments, it’s a significant warning that Europe’s energy systems need to be improved to handle modern-day challenges. As investigations continue, one fact is clear: April 28, 2025, will be remembered as the day southern Europe experienced a major blackout and began seriously considering its energy future.

Sources: Information compiled from reports by Reuters, The Guardian, BBC News, The New York Times, POLITICO, and posts on X, accessed on April 28, 2025.