Iberian power outage triggers chaos and emergency measures
Continental Spain, as well as parts of Portugal and France, experienced a significant power outage on Monday. The power cut paralysed traffic, grounded planes, halted trains, trapped many people in elevators and metro cars, and disrupted telephone communication. In Barcelona, customers at a supermarket were rushing to buy water, toilet paper, and candles.
The website elpais.com reports that in the centre of Barcelona, at the Mercadona supermarket, customers continue shopping despite the darkness, focusing on items like water, toilet paper, and candles. Store employees are endeavouring to maintain order.
Outage in Spain: People buying out items from shops
Despite the lack of power, some devices in the store remain operational. The barcode system and card payments function, although the conveyor belts at tills are not. Customers are opting for non-perishable items such as rice, pasta, or canned goods, fearing a protracted outage.
Some fridges are closed, discouraging customers from purchasing chilled products.
Continental Spain, as well as parts of Portugal and France, experienced a significant power outage, the EFE agency reported, citing the national energy supplier.
Some hospitals have suspended normal operations and are currently functioning in emergency mode. Airports are relying on generator power. Queues have formed outside shops.
According to Reuters, power gradually began to return to residents of the Basque Country and Barcelona early in the afternoon. Power in the northern and southern parts of Spain was restored with support from France and Morocco. Only a brief interruption in the electricity supply was reported in southwest France.
The cause of the outage is under investigation
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in the afternoon that the cause of the outage is still being determined. He also urged the public to refrain from speculation. He added that no theory regarding the cause of the blackout has been ruled out so far.
The governments of Spain and Portugal have convened emergency cabinet meetings, while authorities in major cities like Madrid and Barcelona have organised crisis meetings at the local level. Initially, officials did not rule out the possibility of a cyberattack. Later, the Portuguese National Cybersecurity Centre stated that there are currently no indications that it was a hacker attack.
Network operator Red Electrica stated that the cause of the widespread power grid outage in Spain is not yet known. Still, it is the most serious situation of this kind in the country's history.
The European Commission stated that it remains in contact with the national authorities of Spain and Portugal, as well as the European electricity transmission operators (ENTSO-E), to understand the causes and consequences of the power outage in these countries.
The number of people affected by the outage is not yet known. The total population of Spain and Portugal is about 60 million.
