Power is slowly being restored after yesterday’s massive blackout swept across Spain, Portugal and parts of France, plunging millions into darkness and exposing vulnerabilities in the Iberian Peninsula’s energy infrastructure.
The outage, which began at 12:32 PM local time, disrupted transportation, commerce and essential services, marking one of the most significant power failures in recent memory.
By this morning, grid operators confirmed that power had been restored across the affected regions, though investigations are still ongoing.
Investigations start
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (pictured) addressed the nation following the unprecedented power outage. He acknowledged the significant impact on residents’ lives and assured that the government is working diligently to resolve the issue.
Sánchez announced the activation of emergency powers under civil protection laws in the regions of Andalusia, Extremadura and Madrid.
He said the process of restoring energy is underway across the country, aided by interconnectors with France and Morocco, as well as domestic energy sources.
The Prime Minister described the blackout as resulting from a “strong technical fluctuation in the European electricity system,” noting that there is currently no conclusive information on the specific cause.
He urged citizens to remain calm and avoid unnecessary travel or phone calls to prevent overloading the system.
As of this morning, power has been restored to 99% of affected areas, according to Red Eléctrica de España.
The government continues to investigate the incident to prevent future occurrences.
Law makers are investigating but for now, it does not seem to have been a cyber attack authorities said.
Spain’s King, Felipe VI will preside over a meeting of the national security council later today.
Grid collapse
The crisis was triggered by abrupt oscillations in power flows, leading to a loss of 15 gigawatts of generation capacity.
This destabilisation forced Spain to disconnect from the European electricity grid, severing its connection with France.
Red Eléctrica Española described the event as “absolutely exceptional,” initially warning that full restoration could take up to ten hours.
Overnight efforts saw around 50% of capacity restored and by this morning, service was back online across the board.
Nuclear shortfall
Compounding the situation, Spain’s nuclear power stations experienced a significant drop in output.
Typically providing around 18% of national electricity, the nuclear fleet has struggled to adapt to the growing dominance of renewables.
A 14% year-on-year drop in nuclear generation was recorded in March. Analysts suggest the inflexible nature of nuclear power may have contributed to instability during the grid failure.
Was net zero a factor?
The blackout has reignited debate over the resilience of renewables.
Spain and Portugal generated 82% of their electricity from clean sources in 2024, yet the intermittent nature of wind and solar, combined with a lack of thermal backup such as gas, may have exacerbated the collapse.
Energy experts are calling for increased investment in grid flexibility and storage to ensure security as the energy transition accelerates.
Public startled by collapse
Major cities like Seville, Málaga, Lisbon and Porto were hit hard.
Transport systems halted, industries like automotive manufacturing stalled, and emergency services switched to backup power.
Airports were affected, with evacuations at Lisbon’s terminal and widespread flight delays.
While the lights are back on, this incident is a stark reminder that the transition to clean energy must be matched with modern, resilient infrastructure.
Copyright © 2025 Energy Live News LtdELN