Millions of people across Spain and Portugal were left without power on Monday after an unprecedented electricity blackout struck both countries shortly after noon.
The cause of the disruption remains unclear, with government authorities investigating multiple possibilities. Spanish newspaper El País reported that a potential cyberattack had not been ruled out.
The massive outage saw infrastructure, mobile communications, and transport systems heavily disrupted. Roads were left chaotic with traffic lights failing across cities, while train stations, airports, elevators, factories, and businesses reported widespread interruptions. Hospitals, though impacted, managed to maintain critical operations through emergency generators.
According to Spain’s public grid operator Red Eléctrica, power began to recover from around 1:00 p.m., but full restoration remains a work in progress. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is understood to be personally overseeing the crisis from the Red Eléctrica Control Center. Across Spain’s regions, local governments have convened crisis cabinets to manage the fallout, including Catalonia’s President Salvador Illa.
Parts of southern France were also believed to have been affected, but have since managed to turn the power back on. The Balearic and Canary Islands were also spared due to their independent energy systems.
BREAKING:
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) April 28, 2025
Massive blackout in large parts of Spain, Portugal and France.
This video is from the subway in Lisbon.
🇪🇸🇵🇹🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/h437sTyeIW
Spain’s railway network Adif reported major voltage losses, forcing a nationwide suspension of train traffic. State-owned railway company Renfe confirmed that no trains were departing from stations as of 12:30 p.m. Metro services in Madrid and Barcelona were similarly paralyzed, and elevator failures in cities like Madrid resulted in at least 150 emergency calls.
In airports such as Madrid-Barajas and Barcelona-El Prat, airlines reported significant delays and confusion among thousands of passengers. Portugal’s Lisbon airport faced similar chaos, with travelers stranded without information.
The Ford Almussafes plant halted production, and truck manufacturer Iveco paused operations in Madrid and Valladolid.
Financial operations remained largely unaffected. The Spanish Stock Exchange reported normal activity, and the National Securities Market Commission confirmed that market infrastructures operated without disruption, though some financial institutions faced localized connectivity problems.
Citizens in both Spain and Portugal rushed to withdraw cash, fearing prolonged outages. Público reported that in Lisbon, students and office workers queued at ATMs, some withdrawing hundreds of euros to prepare for potential extended disruptions.
Emergency services are on high alert, with Spain’s DGT, the national traffic authority, urging citizens to avoid driving unless absolutely necessary due to the failure of traffic lights and signage. In Madrid, police officers were manually directing traffic at critical intersections.
🇪🇺 Major Blackouts Hit Western Europe
— Conflict Dispatch (@ConflictDISP) April 28, 2025
Widespread power outages hit Portugal, Spain, Andorra, and France. The cause remains unclear as of now. Some reports suggest a possible spread to Belgium and the Netherlands, though this isn’t confirmed yet. pic.twitter.com/rrOPTkZh2j
The Ministry of Justice in Portugal ordered the closure of registry offices and placed elite prison security forces on standby. Justice ministry facilities activated backup power systems, but warnings were issued that operations would be limited if the blackout continued for several more hours.
Telecommunications are also widely affected. In Portugal, mobile and fixed network operator NOS reported service disruptions and warned that, depending on the length of the blackout, connectivity problems could become more severe.