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Spain Power Outage: Spain has declared a state of emergency after a massive power outage swept across most of the Iberian Peninsula, affecting both Spain and its neighbor Portugal. The blackout struck around 12:30 p.m. local time on Monday, bringing traffic and transport to a standstill and leaving millions without access to water, Wi-Fi, or mobile networks.
The Ministry of Interior announced that the emergency status will apply in regions that request it. So far, Madrid, Andalusia, and Extremadura have formally asked the central government to assume control over public order and other essential functions.
Efforts Underway to Restore Power
According to Spanish grid operator Red Eléctrica, more than 20 percent of Spain’s power supply has been restored. Portuguese grid operator REN has warned, however, that it could take up to a week for the power grid to be fully operational again.
As the blackout continues, Spain’s Prime Minister stated that the cause of the outage remains unknown. Meanwhile, REN reported that there had been a “very large oscillation in the electrical voltages, first in the Spanish system, which then spread to the Portuguese system.”
The outage has had a severe impact, leaving millions without electricity and water. Many travelers have been affected as well, with numerous flights to and from popular holiday destinations grounded.
Spain Power Outage Cause
Red Eléctrica has made significant progress in restoring power, now meeting 35 percent of the country’s energy demand.
“We can currently estimate the recovered demand at around 9,200 MW, which represents approximately 35% of the forecast demand,” a translated statement from the operator read.
Reports have begun to shed light on the possible origin of the blackout. According to La Vanguardia newspaper, citing Eduardo Prieto, the system operations chief at Red Eléctrica, the outage was triggered by a failure in the interconnection between the Spanish and French power grids. This failure reportedly caused the widespread disruption that rippled across both Spain and Portugal.
