Spain and Portugal have fully restored electricity after experiencing a widespread blackout, but officials have yet to explain the cause or how future disruptions will be prevented.
According to Reuters, the blackout on April 28, 2025, instantly cut 60% of Spain’s power demand in just five seconds, leaving cities in chaos, with people trapped in elevators, phone networks down, and transport systems halted.
By Tuesday, traffic lights and public transport systems were gradually functioning again.
Despite this, delays persisted for many commuters.
“Spain and Portugal switched their power back on after the worst blackout in their history, though authorities offered little explanation for what had caused it or how they would prevent it happening again.
“Traffic lights were back on, train and metro services slowly returned, and schools reopened. Commuters battled with delays to get back to work after an outage that had left people stranded in lifts and cut off from phone contact with their families,” the report stated.
Spain’s grid operator, Red Eléctrica (REE), ruled out a cyberattack, but the High Court is investigating a possible terrorist act. Prime Minister Sanchez urged caution, saying all causes are still being reviewed.
REE traced the cause to two major losses in solar power generation in southwestern Spain, which destabilized the grid and caused a disconnect from France’s power network.
The event has shown scrutiny of Spain’s renewable-heavy energy system and sparked up debate over the risks of relying heavily on solar and wind energy without proper backup systems like large-scale battery storage.
In February, grid owner Redeia warned that relying too much on renewables without enough backup could cause blackouts.
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The blackout’s economic damage is estimated between €2.25 billion and €4.5 billion, according to RBC Capital Markets, which criticized the government for not strengthening the grid in line with its solar push.
- Major manufacturers were affected by the blackout. SEAT’s Barcelona plant regained power by 1 a.m. Tuesday, but remained under capacity. Volkswagen’s Navarra factory lost a full day’s production of around 1,400 vehicles and resumed operations at 2:30 p.m.
Small businesses also suffered. Many bars and restaurants in big cities reported spoiled inventory due to prolonged outages.
- In Galicia, three people tragically died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning while using a generator to power a medical device. In Portugal, Lisbon’s metro, airport, and hospitals gradually returned to normal operations by Tuesday.
Authorities declared a state of emergency in several regions, deploying emergency services to maintain safety and assist stranded residents during the blackout.
