Massive power outages have hit large parts of Spain and Portugal, shutting off traffic lights, and causing chaos at train stations, airports and on the roads.
Outages were reported from Madrid to Portugal, with shops and restaurants according to a BBC reporter plunged into darkness and long lines at cash points in the Portuguese capital as card payments are also not working.
No firm explanation was immediately given for the power cuts and a cyberattack has not been ruled out. Parts of France also temporarily lost power following the outages in Spain and Portugal, Reuters news agency reports.
In a statement on X, Spanish transmission system operator Red Electrica, which manages the flow of electricity at the national level, said that protocols had been activated “to restore electricity supply.”
“The causes are being analyzed and all resources are being dedicated to resolving it,” the operator said.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been at the Red Electrica control center along with members of his cabinet to learn first-hand about the situation affecting the electricity supply, Madrid’s Energy Ministry said on Monday afternoon. A crisis committee has been set up to manage the situation in Madrid.
Portugal’s grid operator Redes Energeticas Nacionais (REN) said electrical supply was lost across the Iberian peninsula, and in parts of France, late on Monday morning.
Miles de pasajeros se quedan a oscuras en los subterráneos del metro. Imágenes del Metro de Madrid en el momento de este apagón histórico que ha dejado, por ahora, una hora y media sin suministro eléctrico a todo un país. #apagón #apagónNacional@metro_madrid
Álvaro González pic.twitter.com/SyDElqM9aJ
— Ultimas Noticias Canarias (@UNCanarias) April 28, 2025
Flights have been grounded at airports in Madrid, Barcelona and Lisbon, with Portuguese airline TAP warning passengers to not head to airports until further notice. There are reports that inside Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport, hundreds of people were stood in the dark in queues, with no air conditioning or running water, and shops only accepting cash.
In Madrid, traffic piled up on the roads after the lights went out. Spanish authorities have asked residents not to call emergency services, warning that telephone centers were already being overwhelmed by calls.
Metro services have been suspended while Spanish train operator Renfe said there was a power outage at a national level, causing trains to stop and departures to be canceled.
Mobile phone networks have also been hit by the massive power cut. Reporters for the AFP news agency in Madrid and Barcelona saw people heading into the streets, holding their smartphones up to try to connect to a network.
According to AFP, any people used the radio, rather than their phones, to get updates.
Madrid’s Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida asked residents to stay put where possible. “I ask all residents of Madrid to keep their movements to an absolute minimum and, if at all possible, to remain where they are. We want to keep all roads clear,” he said in a video posted on social media.
