Areas in Spain, Portugal and France were impacted by a widespread power outage on Monday, as officials from each country worked to detect the cause of the blackout and tried to restore power, which Spain’s power distributor said could take up to 10 hours.
Fans walk through the dark gangways after a men’s singles game at the Madrid Open tennis tournament … More was suspended due to the power outage.
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Key Facts
Red Eléctrica, Spain’s national power grid operator, reportedly said efforts to restore power across the country could take up to 10 hours, as Eduardo Prieto, Red Eléctrica’s head of operations, said the blackout was “exceptional and extraordinary.”
Earlier Monday, Red Eléctrica acknowledged the blackout on X and later announced power was restored to some areas in the north, south and west of the Iberian Peninsula.
E-Redes, Portugal’s national energy supplier, told the New York Times in a statement the blackout was impacting areas in Catalonia, Andalusia, Aragon, the Basque Country, Castile, Léon, Extremadura and Murcia, with other power outages along the Basque Coast and near Burgundy in France.
In an X post, Spain’s state-owned railway company Renfe said the outage began at 12:30 pm and the entire national grid has been impacted.
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What Caused The Power Outages In Spain And Portugal?
A cause of the widespread power outages has not been determined, though E-Redes reportedly determined the blackout was because of “a problem in the European power grid” while data suggests a voltage imbalance was likely responsible. António Leitão Amaro, a minister for Portugal’s presidency, told Portuguese news agency Lusa the imbalance was linked to a “problem in Spain’s transportation network,” though details of this issue have not been determined. Red Eléctrica’s Prieto said the blackout was caused by a “very strong oscillation in the electrical network,” which caused Spain’s power grid to “disconnect from the European system” and collapse the Iberian Peninsula’s electricity network.
Were Any Other Countries Impacted By The Outages?
French grid operator Réseau de Transport d’Électricité (RTE) confirmed in a statement to SkyNews the country experienced brief outages. Emilie Grandidier, a spokesperson for RTE, told CNN a blackout in France’s southwestern Basque Country last just a “couple of minutes and was restored very quickly.” According to Euronews, some residents of Andorra, which borders Spain, also reported outages.
Has The Power Outage Caused Any Travel Disruptions?
Both public transport and road traffic have been impacted across several major cities in the Iberian peninsula, including Madrid, Lisbon and Barcelona. Spanish train operator Renfe said all departures have been halted since 12:30 p.m. local time. The Madrid Metro also announced the stoppage of its services while reports said several underground stations were being evacuated. In Portugal, the country’s flag carrier TAP Air issued a statement on Facebook requesting passengers to not travel to the airport as operations have been limited. Road traffic in both countries were also impacted as clips shared on social media showed chaotic scenes at intersections as traffic lights failed to work.
Have Events Been Affected By The Power Outages?
Play was suspended at the 2025 Mutua Madrid Open after the tournament said it was affected by a power outage, noting it was “working to restore normality as soon as possible.” Three matches were playing at the time the power went down, the Associated Press reported.
