Spain's worst energy crisis: Blackout wreaks havoc across Iberia
On Monday, a significant power outage affected mainland Spain, as well as parts of Portugal and France, causing widespread disruptions. Videos and photos displaying chaos in various locations have appeared online.
The network operator Red Eléctrica stated that the cause of the widespread failure is currently unknown. The company emphasised that this is the most serious energy crisis in Spain's history. At the same time, it was noted that electricity supplies in the north and south of the country are gradually being restored.
Blackout in Spain and Portugal: Massive failure
It is estimated that fully resolving the effects of the failure will take between 6 to 10 hours. As reported by Eduardo Prieto, a representative of the operator quoted by Reuters, the restoration of the network's operation depends on various factors.
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez convened a meeting of the National Security Council on Monday, focusing on the energy crisis, which has also affected Portugal and France.
The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Centre stated in a release that there is currently no evidence that a cyberattack caused the failure.
The outage led to chaos throughout the country. Footage shows, among other things, train passengers stranded in remote areas.
The European Commission announced that it remains in contact with the authorities of Spain and Portugal and the European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSO-E) to determine the causes of the supply interruption and assess its impacts.
the metro, phones, cash machines, and traffic lights not working
The French energy network operator RTE has informed of its cooperation with its Spanish counterpart to resolve the issue.
In Madrid and Lisbon, the metro, phones, traffic lights, and cash machines ceased to function. Some hospitals are operating in emergency mode.
Traffic signals are non-operational, and the lights have gone out on underground platforms.
"Every part of digital life, from shops, traffic lights, hospitals, airports, to telephones, everything is down," reads another report.
Chaos is also reported in supermarkets, writes El Debate.
All train services halted
The Spanish rail operator RENFE announced the suspension of all services. Meanwhile, airport operator AENA reported that although airports are facing issues, emergency power is functioning. Portuguese operator ANA stated that generators in Porto and Lisbon are operational.
El Pais reports that at the Red Eléctrica headquarters in Madrid, the Prime Minister and ministers held a crisis meeting. Local authorities in large cities like Madrid and Barcelona are also organising their own crisis groups.
A quarter-final tennis match of the WTA tournament in Madrid was also scheduled for Monday. Due to the power outage, organisers were forced to cancel the event.
