a massive power outage on April 28, 2025, affected large parts of Spain and Portugal, disrupting daily life and critical services. The blackout began around 10:33 GMT and caused widespread interruptions, grounding flights, halting public transport, stalling metro systems, impacting hospitals, and forcing retail closures, including major chains like IKEA and Lidl. Spain’s Interior Ministry declared a national emergency, and emergency cabinet meetings were held in both countries to investigate the cause. Although the exact reason remains unclear, Portuguese officials suggested a large voltage oscillation may have originated in Spain and spread. No evidence of a cyberattack has been found.

Power began returning by the afternoon in areas like Barcelona and Madrid in Spain, and across Lisbon and other municipalities in Portugal. Hospitals operated on backup generators, suspending non-emergency procedures. The blackout also caused traffic gridlock, evacuations from metros, and stretched emergency services. The Bank of Spain assured the public that electronic banking continued on backup systems. France’s grid operator assisted by routing electricity to northern Spain. With renewable energy accounting for a significant portion of Spain’s power, the event highlighted vulnerabilities in national energy infrastructure. The scale of the outage drew comparisons to previous European blackouts in 2003 and 2006.

Source: Reuters​