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Spain and Portugal hit by massive power outage causing blackouts Tens of millions across Spain and Portugal hit by huge power outage
(about 3 hours later)
Phones, traffic lights, Spanish parliament and newsrooms all reportedly affected as metro stations plunged into darkness Transport, ATMs and telecommunications all affected as operator blames extreme temperature variations
Spain and Portugal have been hit by a massive power outage that cut off electricity to millions of people across both countries, including their capitals, and also affected parts of south-west France, according to grid operators. Tens of millions of people across Spain and Portugal have been plunged into a huge power blackout blamed by the Portuguese operator on extreme temperature variations, leaving them without trains, metros, traffic lights, ATMs, phone connections and internet access.
The blackout late on Monday morning knocked out train traffic, metro networks, phone lines, traffic lights and ATM machines. It was not immediately clear what caused the outage or exactly how many people had been affected. People were trapped in lifts, stuck on trains, stalled in traffic and abandoned in airports. Hundreds stumbled along pitch-black metro tunnels using their phone torches; others scrambled for basics in supermarkets that could only take cash, or began long trudges home from work.
The Spanish government convened a crisis meeting at the national electricity operator, Red Eléctrica, attended by the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, and his interior, finance, environment and transport ministers. Mobile networks went down and internet access was cut as power failed at 12.33pm (1.33 GMT). Hospitals postponed routine operations but used generators to attend to critical cases, and while electronic banking was able to function on backup systems, most ATM screens were blank.
As power began gradually to be restored by the middle of the afternoon, Sánchez called a second emergency cabinet meeting at the government headquarters in Moncloa in Madrid, his office said in a Telegram message. The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martinez-Almeida, urged residents to minimise their journeys and stay where they were, adding: “It is essential that the emergency services can circulate.” Play at the Madrid Open tennis tournament was suspended.
Red Eléctrica described the incident as “exceptional and totally extraordinary”. It said it had brought back power in parts of the the north and south of the country, but it could take between six and 10 hours to fully restore the electricity supply. The Spanish government convened a crisis meeting at the national grid operator, Red Eléctrica, to discuss the outage attended by the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, who said early on Monday evening a problem in Europe’s grid was to blame but the precise cause was still unclear.
Eduardo Prieto, the company’s head of operations, said it “cannot speculate right now on the causes” of the blackout, adding that everything was being done “to shed light” on the origin of the power cut. Spanish media reported that the national cybersecurity institute was investigating the possibility of a cyber-attack. However, António Costa, the European Council president and a former Portuguese prime minister, said there were “no indications of any cyber-attack”. Spain’s Teresa Ribero, a European Commission vice-president, also said there was no evidence the incident was deliberate.
The government said in a statement it was “working to determine the origin and impact and is dedicating all resources to resolve it as quickly as possible”. By 5pm on Monday, Red Eléctrica said it had restored power to several areas and consumption was up to about 50% of the usual level, but that it could take between six and 10 hours to fully restore supply after what it called an “exceptional and totally extraordinary” incident.
Spanish media reported that the national cybersecurity institute was investigating the possibility of a cyber-attack. The country’s national security council was also convened on Monday afternoon to discuss the blackout. The Portuguese operator, REN, said the outage was caused by a “rare atmospheric phenomenon”, with extreme temperature variations in Spain causing “anomalous oscillations” in very high-voltage lines. Red Eléctrica did not immediately respond.
In Brussels, Teresa Ribera, a European Commission vice-president and a former Spanish ecology minister, urged people to be patient while waiting for power to the restored. She said there was as yet no evidence the outage was intentional. REN said the phenomenon, known as “induced atmospheric vibration”, caused “synchronisation failures between the electrical systems, leading to successive disturbances across the interconnected European network.”
The Portuguese cabinet also called an emergency meeting at the prime minister’s residence. The country’s REN operator said the entire Iberian peninsula was affected by the blackout, which it said happened at 12.33am (11.33 GMT), plus part of France. It said it was deploying all available resources but it was impossible to say how long it would take for the situation in Portugal to return to normal. The prime minister, Luís Montenegro, said he hoped power would be restored “in the coming hours”.
The French high-voltage operator RTE said parts of the south-west of the country had been briefly affected but power was restored by mid-afternoon. It said it could export power to Spain “as soon as the Iberian grid has the technical capacity to receive it”. The French high-voltage operator RTE meanwhile said parts of southwest France had been briefly affected but power was restored by mid-afternoon. It said it could export power to Spain “as soon as the Iberian grid has the technical capacity to receive it”.
Spain’s railway operator Adif said the power cut halted trains across the entire country, with services not set to resume until at least 6pm. The airports operator Aena said “several incidents” had occurred at Spanish airports. Mobile phone networks went down and internet access was cut. Widespread outages are unusual in Europe. In 2003, a problem with a hydroelectric power line between Italy and Switzerland caused blackouts for about 12 hours, and in 2006 an overloaded power network in Germany caused electricity cuts across parts of the country and in France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands.
In Portugal, the outage hit the capital, Lisbon, and surrounding areas, as well as northern and southern parts of the country. The government said the incident appeared to stem from problems abroad. In scenes reminiscent of the 2003 outage that caused widespread blackouts in the US north-east, rail services across the Iberian peninsula were halted, air traffic disrupted and traffic lights extinguished. Hundreds of people had to be rescued from jammed lifts.
“It looks like it was a problem with the distribution network, apparently in Spain,” a cabinet minister, António Leitão Amaro, told the national news agency Lusa. Lisbon metro carriages were evacuated and ATMs and electronic payment systems cut out. Spain’s railway operator, Adif, said the power cut stranded trains throughout the country. The transport minister, Óscar Puente, said intercity train services would not be restored until Tuesday as the country battled to return to normal.
“We are working to ensure that, once the power supply is restored, we can resume these services, which will no longer be possible today,” Puente said. Airports were largely operating as normal using backup supplies and generators, he added.
In Madrid and other cities, traffic lights ceased to function, causing gridlock as vehicles slowed to avoid collisions, while metros were also halted. Spain’s national road authority, DGT, urged motorists to avoid using the roads as much as possible.In Madrid and other cities, traffic lights ceased to function, causing gridlock as vehicles slowed to avoid collisions, while metros were also halted. Spain’s national road authority, DGT, urged motorists to avoid using the roads as much as possible.
El País newspaper posted photos and video on its website of passengers navigating darkened metro tunnels in the Spanish capital and police directing traffic on the city’s streets. Footage also showed its own reporters working by torchlight.El País newspaper posted photos and video on its website of passengers navigating darkened metro tunnels in the Spanish capital and police directing traffic on the city’s streets. Footage also showed its own reporters working by torchlight.
The Spanish health ministry said in a social media update it was in contact with regional authorities to assess the scope of the widespread blackout but reassured the public that hospitals had supplementary systems in place.The Spanish health ministry said in a social media update it was in contact with regional authorities to assess the scope of the widespread blackout but reassured the public that hospitals had supplementary systems in place.
In Portugal, the outage hit the capital, Lisbon, and surrounding areas, as well as northern and southern parts of the country. Lisbon metro carriages were evacuated and ATMs and electronic payment systems cut out.
The Portuguese water supplier EPAL said water supplies could also be disrupted, prompting queues to form at stores as people rushed to buy bottled water and other emergency supplies such as gas lights, generators and battery-powered radios.
A graph on Spain’s electricity network website showing demand across the country indicated a steep drop at about 12.15pm, from 27,500MW to almost 15,000MW.A graph on Spain’s electricity network website showing demand across the country indicated a steep drop at about 12.15pm, from 27,500MW to almost 15,000MW.
The European Commission said it was in contact with Spanish and Portuguese authorities to understand the underlying cause of the blackout. The commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said she had spoken with Sánchez and the EU’s executive would “coordinate efforts and share information to help restore power”. The European Commission said it was in contact with Spanish and Portuguese authorities to understand the underlying cause of the blackout. The commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said she had spoken with Sánchez.
With Agence France-Presse and Associated Press