Massive power outage hits Spain, Portugal and France

A widespread power outage disrupted electricity across Spain and Portugal on Monday, also affecting parts of southern France, according to officials and grid operators.

Spain’s national grid operator, Red Eléctrica Española, reported that contingency plans were activated after a system-wide failure impacted the Iberian Peninsula. Efforts to restore service began shortly after the incident, which occurred around 11:30 a.m. local time.

“Plans to restore electricity supply have been activated in collaboration with companies in the sector following the blackout in the peninsular system,” Red Eléctrica said. “All resources are being dedicated to resolve the situation.”

By late afternoon, officials said progress was being made. Red Eléctrica confirmed that voltage had been restored to substations across northern, southern, and western regions, with supply returning to areas including Catalonia, Aragón, the Basque Country, Galicia, La Rioja, Asturias, Navarra, Castilla y León, Extremadura, and Andalucía.

Recovery continued into the evening, with new areas in Madrid, the Valencia region, Murcia, and Castilla-La Mancha regaining power. At 7:37 p.m., officials said that more than one-fifth of the peninsular demand had been recovered, with 5,508 MW available through autonomous production and imports from France. Approximately 45% of the substations on the transmission grid were energized at that point.

In Portugal, grid operator Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN) confirmed that the outage impacted the entire country, with effects beginning at 11:33 a.m. local time. REN said it was in permanent contact with civil protection authorities and was working to determine the cause.

European Council President Charles Michel said he had spoken with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro. “Grid operators in both countries are working on finding the cause, and on restoring the electricity supply,” Michel said, adding that there were no indications of a cyberattack at this stage.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez attributed the blackout to a “strong oscillation” in the European electricity system, which triggered the massive disruption across the Iberian Peninsula and parts of France.

He said three Spanish regions—Andalusia, Extremadura, and Madrid—formally requested Level 3 civil protection emergency status, which the government approved. Sánchez added that the national government would assume management responsibilities in those regions and would do the same in any other autonomous communities that submit similar requests.

Thanks to interconnections with France and Morocco, along with the activation of combined-cycle and hydroelectric plants across Spain, authorities said they were making steady progress in restoring power.

Sánchez said that there were no major security or civil protection issues reported at the time, and that essential services, including hospitals and port traffic, remained operational. Air traffic was not significantly disrupted, though a 20% reduction in flights was implemented as a precaution.

Train services, however, were heavily affected, with medium- and long-distance routes suspended for the remainder of the day. Many ATMs were also disrupted, though electronic payment systems continued functioning normally.

Sánchez urged citizens to minimize travel, rely only on official information, and limit mobile phone use to reduce strain on telecommunications networks, warning that the next few hours would be critical.

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said Portugal was coordinating closely with security forces, civil protection agencies, hospitals, and fuel supply companies to ensure essential services remained stable. “There is no time to waste,” he said. “Our thanks to everyone who is focused on these priority tasks.”

The investigation into the cause of the outage remains ongoing.