On the afternoon of 28 April 2025, there was a sudden major spain power outages and Portugal, which shocked millions of people. Due to this power crisis, the entire Iberian Peninsula went into darkness.
This is believed to be Europe’s biggest blackout so far. Due to the power outage, the lives of common people were completely affected. Homes were plunged into darkness and everyday activities came to a halt. Not only homes, airports were also not untouched by this crisis. Many flights were delayed and some had to be canceled. Train services came to a complete halt, causing great trouble to passengers.
Lack of electricity in hospitals affected the care of patients. At the same time, the traffic system also came to a complete standstill, causing chaos on the roads. This power crisis not only shows the technical problem, but also makes it clear how a small mistake can turn into a big problem.
When and How Did The Blackout Start?
At around 12:15 pm local time, there was a sudden drop in power generation in Spain. There was a loss of about 15 gigawatts of electricity, which was 60% of the country’s total demand. Due to this sharp drop, Spain’s power network was cut off from France and power went out across the country.
Soon after this, Portugal’s power grid was also affected. Even parts of southern France lost power. According to Spain’s grid operator Red Electrica, the incident was so severe that the European system could not handle it. Spain’s entire power network crashed.
At the same time, Portugal’s grid operator REN said that there was abnormal vibration in high voltage lines in Spain. Due to this there was a synchronization failure in the system and the problem spread throughout the European network.
Effect of blackout
- Millions of people in the dark: Power suddenly went out in homes, people were forced to live in candlelight.
- Traffic and transport: Metro services were shut down, trains were stranded, flights were canceled or delayed at airports. Lisbon airport was running on backup generators.
- Impact on hospitals: Many hospitals suspended all routine operations except emergency services. Treatment of critical patients continued with the help of backup generators.
- Road traffic: There was heavy jam and chaos on the roads due to the failure of traffic lights. Policemen were seen controlling the traffic.
- Business and banking: Many shops, supermarkets and big retailers like Lidl and IKEA remained closed. ATMs and digital payment services were affected, leaving people in need of cash.
Power Restoration and Relief Work
Power restoration work began within hours of the blackout. And power started returning to many parts of Spain such as Basque Country, Barcelona, Madrid and many areas of Portugal. By night, about 61% of power had been restored in Spain, while in Portugal 85 out of 89 substations were back on.
The Spanish government declared a national emergency and deployed 30,000 policemen to maintain order. Officials appealed to the public to stay at home, avoid unnecessary exits and call emergency services only when necessary.
Possible Causes of The Blackout
The real reason behind this blackout is not yet fully clear. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has set up a special investigation commission that will get to the bottom of the incident.
However, according to experts, the main reason behind this incident could be:
- Extreme temperature and voltage vibrations: Sharp changes in temperature inside Spain and vibrations in high voltage lines caused instability in the power system.
- Complex network of energy grid: The share of renewable energy sources (solar and wind) is very high in Spain, which can cause sudden fluctuations in the grid.
- France-Spain connection failure: Spain’s grid was cut off from the European network due to a problem in the electrical connector connected to France.
The government has ruled out the possibility of a cyber attack, but the investigation is still going on.
Other information related to the blackout
Due to this blackout, Spain’s Madrid Open tennis tournament also had to be postponed.
- Many people were trapped in the metro and elevators, emergency services were activated to rescue them.
- Internet speeds and connectivity were also affected, disrupting digital services.
- Portugal Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said there had been no cyber attack, but investigations were ongoing.
Conclusion
The Spain-Portugal blackout of 28 April 2025 was a rare but serious event that affected the lives of millions of people. The incident illustrates the challenge of maintaining a balance between the complexity of the electricity grid and the growing use of renewable energy.
The governments of Spain and Portugal are investigating the incident thoroughly to avoid such incidents in the future and make the power supply more secure.
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