Portugal/Spain/France, April 28 — A major power outage struck Spain and Portugal on Monday, bringing public transportation to a halt, triggering traffic jams, and causing widespread flight delays.
Utility operators rushed to restore power as both governments convened emergency meetings in response to the unprecedented disruption.
The outage, which briefly affected northeastern France, led to significant challenges for both countries.
Portugal’s utility operator REN confirmed the widespread electricity cut across the Iberian Peninsula, and Spain’s grid operator, Red Eléctrica, stated that it was collaborating with regional energy firms to restore service.
“All plans for the phased restoration of energy supply are being activated, in coordination with European energy producers and operators,” said a REN spokesperson.
“REN is in permanent contact with official entities, including the National Civil Protection Authority. The causes of the incident are being investigated.”
In Spain, the capital city Madrid experienced major disruptions. Local radio stations reported that part of the city’s underground metro system had to be evacuated.
Traffic lights throughout the city failed, causing severe congestion. “The situation was chaotic, with people stranded in metro cars and long lines at traffic lights,” said a Reuters witness.
“There was also a heavy police presence around key buildings, directing traffic.”
The Madrid Open tennis tournament was also impacted.
A match between 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov and Britain’s Jacob Fearnley was suspended as power failures left scoreboards and cameras inoperable.
The match, which Dimitrov was leading 6-4, 5-4, was halted when the spidercam became a hazard near the court.
In Lisbon and Porto, the power cut forced metro systems to close, leaving passengers stuck inside trains.
Lisbon’s Metropolitano de Lisboa confirmed the standstill, with passengers reporting delays.
“People were stuck inside trains for a while until power was restored,” a source from the Lisbon subway operator told Publico newspaper.
Portuguese police confirmed that traffic lights were down nationwide. At Lisbon Airport, TAP Air Portugal relied on back-up generators to maintain operations, while AENA reported delays at Spanish airports across the country.
In France, a brief power disruption affected the grid but was quickly resolved.
French grid operator RTE confirmed that the issue had been addressed and stated that investigations into the cause were ongoing.
Both governments are continuing to assess the situation, with regional power restoration efforts in full swing across the Iberian Peninsula.
