Power gradually returns to Spain, Portugal as cause of blackout remains unknown

Lights flickered back to life inSpain andPortugal Tuesday after a massiveblackout hit the Iberian peninsula stranding passengers in trains and hundreds of elevators while millions saw phone andinternet coverage die.

Electricity had been restored to nearly 90 percent of mainland Spain early Tuesday, the REE power operator said. Lights came on again inMadrid and in Portugal's capital.

Barely a corner of the peninsula, which has a joint population of almost 60 million people, escaped the blackout. But no firm cause for the shutdown has yet emerged, though wild rumours spread on messaging networks aboutcyber attacks.

Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said the source of the outage was "probably in Spain". Spain's Prime MinisterPedro Sanchez said "all the potential causes" were being analysed and warned the public "not to speculate" because of the risk of "misinformation".

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Sanchez said about 15 gigawatts ofelectricity, more than half of the power being consumed at the time, "suddenly disappeared" in about five seconds.

Sanchez was unable to say when power would be completely restored in Spain and warned that some workers would have to stay home Tuesday. Montenegro said Portugal's power would be back "within hours".

Power was restored overnight to around 6.2 million households in Portugal out of 6.5 million, according to the national electricity grid operator.

The outage rippled briefly into southwestFrance whileMorocco saw disruption to some internet providers and airport check-in systems.

People were "stunned", according to Carlos Candori, a 19-year-old construction worker who had to exit the paralysed Madrid metro system. "This has never happened in Spain".

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"There's no (phone) coverage, I can't call my family, my parents, nothing: I can't even go to work," he told AFP.

Cash queues

In Madrid and cities across Spain and Portugal, panicked customers rushed to withdraw cash from banks, and streets filled with crowds floundering for a phone signal. Long lines formed for taxis and buses. 

With stop lights knocked out, police struggled to keep densely congested traffic moving and authorities urged motorists to stay home.

In Madrid alone 286 rescue operations were carried out to free people trapped in lifts, regional authorities said.

Trains were halted across the country and late Monday, the transport minister said there were still 11 trains with stranded passengers who needed help.

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Railway stations in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, Seville and four other major cities were to be kept open all night so that stranded passengers could sleep there. 

Spain's nuclear power plants automatically went offline as a safety precaution, with diesel generators maintaining them in a "safe condition", the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) said.

'Serious disruption'

Sanchez said the blackout, which hit just after midday, caused "serious disruption" for millions and "economic losses in businesses, in companies, in industries".

TheEuropean Commission said it was in contact with Spain and Portugal over the crisis. European Council PresidentAntonio Costa said on X: "There are no indications of any cyberattack".

Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelensky offered support in a call to Sanchez, noting his country had become specialised in such emergencies after three years of Russia attacking its electrical grid. 

"No matter what happens, we are always ready to assist and support our friends," he said on X.

The huge power cut disrupted flights to and from Madrid, Barcelona and Lisbon, European air traffic organisation Eurocontrol said.

France affected

Transport chaos also gripped Spain's second city, Barcelona, where locals and tourists alike flooded the streets in an attempt to find out what had happened.

Student Laia Montserrat left school when the lights went out.

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The Spanish Parliament in Madrid closed, and play at the Madrid Open tennis tournament was suspended. Three matches were underway when power went down.

Spain’s traffic department asked citizens to avoid using their cars as much as possible due to the power outage, which has affected traffic lights and electrical road signage.

Barcelona’s streets filled with throngs of people on sidewalks, milling about in front of darkened stores and offices and exchanging information on what had happened. 

Immediate concerns were which phone companies still had at least some spotty coverage, or where internet access might be found. Another concern was how to get home with the subway shut and public buses packed. Some took advantage of the lack of connectivity and transport to enjoy the sunshine on restaurant terraces. 

In Terrassa, an industrial town 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Barcelona, stores selling generators were out of stock after people lined up to buy them.

In Portugal, a country of some 10.6 million people, the outage hit Lisbon and surrounding areas, as well as northern and southern parts. Portuguese police placed more officers on duty to direct traffic and cope with increased requests for help, including from people trapped in elevators.

Hospitals and other emergency services in both Spain and Portugal switched to generators. Gas stations stopped working. 

Portugal’s National Authority for Emergencies and Civil Protection said backup power systems were operating.

Several Lisbon subway cars were evacuated, reports said. Also in Portugal, courts stopped work and ATMs and electronic payment systems were affected. 

(FRANCE 24 with AP and AFP