Blackout hits Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium; flights, trains to phone lines severely affected

A massive and unprecedented power outage crippled much of Spain, Portugal, parts of France, and Belgium on Monday, leaving millions without electricity, cutting off communications, stranding travelers, and paralyzing major cities across southern and western Europe, according to reports from Associated Press (AP) and Euronews.

The Outage and Immediate Impact

The blackout began around 12:30 p.m. local time, causing Spain’s power grid to lose 15 gigawatts—approximately 60% of national demand—within five seconds, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed during a national address.

In Portugal, grid operator Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN) also confirmed that the outage extended nationwide, affecting sectors of neighbouring France and Belgium.

Disruption Caused By The Blackout 

• Airports: Madrid-Barajas and Lisbon-Humberto Delgado airports operated on backup power, leading to widespread flight delays and cancellations.

• Public Transport: Metro systems in Madrid, Barcelona, and Lisbon came to a standstill. Over 35,000 passengers were stranded across Spain.

• Communications: Mobile phone networks, internet services, and ATMs stopped functioning for hours.

• Hospitals: Facilities like Madrid's La Paz hospital and several Portuguese medical centers switched to emergency generators, canceling some surgeries, reported CNN.'

In major cities, traffic lights failed, creating chaos on the roads. Emergency services worked overtime to evacuate people trapped in elevators and stranded subway cars.

Government Responses

Both Spain and Portugal declared states of emergency Monday afternoon.

Spain's government activated the National Security Council and deployed the army to distribute generators to critical areas. Portugal’s Prime Minister Luis Montenegro declared an energy crisis following an emergency cabinet meeting.

Authorities emphasized that there was no confirmed evidence of a cyberattack so far, although investigations continue. Spain’s National Intelligence Centre and the Portuguese National Cybersecurity Center are leading the probe.

The European Commission said it was closely monitoring the situation and coordinating support efforts under European Union emergency frameworks in a press release.

Possible Causes

While investigations are ongoing, preliminary information suggests several possibilities:

• Grid Failures: Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez suggested a likely malfunction or imbalance in the system.

• Infrastructure Damage: A fire on France’s Alaric mountain damaged a major high-voltage power line between Perpignan and Narbonne, which may have played a key role, REN stated.

• System Interconnectivity: Infrastructure expert Taco Engelaar from Neara explained that Europe's grids are so interconnected that a fault in one country can easily cascade across others.

• Cybersecurity Risks: Authorities said cyberattacks could not yet be ruled out, but no evidence was immediately found.

Gradual Restoration

By Monday evening, Spain’s energy provider Red Eléctrica and France’s RTE reported partial restoration of services, reported AP.

In Spain, half of the national electricity demand was being met by 7:00 p.m. local time.

In France and Belgium, services were almost fully restored with only minor disruptions remaining.

Energy was rerouted from Morocco and France to stabilize Spain’s grid, while Portugal faced longer delays due to its dependency on imports.

Full restoration, according to grid operators, could take 6 to 10 more hours, depending on technical challenges.

Wider Impact

The blackout affected over 60 million people, impacting key sectors like tourism, finance, and logistics:

• Sporting events, including the Madrid Open tennis tournament, were suspended.

• Supermarkets and small businesses closed as digital payment systems failed.

• Emergency services were overwhelmed. In Madrid alone, firefighters recorded 174 elevator rescues during the afternoon.

• Even the French Basque Country, near the Spanish border, reported brief outages, illustrating the blackout’s broad geographic reach.

Monday’s blackout is being described as one of the most serious energy incidents in Europe in recent memory. Authorities continue to investigate the causes, but full recovery may take days, and the economic aftermath could be severe.