Historic blackout hits Spain and Portugal, causes chaos
Spain and Portugal experienced a major power outage that paralyzed daily life. Many cities faced power shortages for several hours. By evening, power was restored in some areas, and people joyfully took to the streets to celebrate in certain places.
What do you need to know?
- The power outage affected Spain and Portugal, causing chaos in transportation and daily life. In Madrid and other cities, traffic lights, subways, and ATMs were non-operational.
- The cause of the outage was the disconnection of the European interconnection system by France.
- Restoration of power took several hours, and in some regions, such as Catalonia, 60% of residents still remain without power.
What were the effects of the power outage in Spain?
On Monday, a major power outage hit Spain and Portugal, causing significant disruptions in city operations.
In Madrid, non-functioning traffic lights led to chaos on the roads. The subway and ATMs were also out of service, and some hospitals had to switch to emergency mode.
The Spanish energy provider, Red Electrica, stated that restoring power could take from 6 to 10 hours. By evening, electricity returned to some parts of the country, but repairs are still ongoing in other areas. "Such a severe crisis has never happened before," said Eduardo Prieto from Red Electrica.
"That's how the return of light sounds"
The Spanish radio station Cadena SER posted a short video showing residents celebrating the return of power on Gran Via, Madrid's main street.
"Shouts of joy on the street. This is how the return of light on Gran Via in Madrid sounds" - read the video caption.
"El Pais" writes that in some areas of Madrid, power was restored after more than nine hours. A short video shows residents celebrating the return of power by going out onto balconies and clapping.
Power partially restored
Power was also partially restored in other parts of Spain, such as Catalonia, Valencia, and Andalusia.
Around 2:00 PM ET, subway service resumed in downtown Bilbao, in the Basque Country. Rail and tram connections are also operational. In Catalonia, it is anticipated that the commuter rail will return to normal functioning on Tuesday.
What caused the power outage on the Iberian Peninsula?
The cause of the outage was the disconnection of the European interconnection system by France.
Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, emphasized at a press conference that, within five seconds, 15 GW of power was lost, which accounted for about 60% of the power in the system. "This has never happened before," Sanchez noted.
Authorities are not ruling out any scenario, and work on restoring full power is ongoing. The government has also decided to release part of the strategic oil reserves to mitigate the effects of the outage.
