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What we know about Monday's sweeping power outage in Spain and Portugal
- A massive power outage struck mainland Spain, Portugal, parts of Andorra, and southwestern France on Monday, April 28, 2025, starting around 12:33 pm CEST.
- The blackout followed a series of disturbances, including two disconnection events and increasing grid instability with high solar and wind power contributions at over 50 percent.
- The power outage caused major interruptions to critical infrastructure, including transit systems and communication networks, led to nuclear plant power failures, stranded more than 35,000 travelers, and forced numerous businesses to close.
- Spain lost approximately 15 gigawatts, about 60 percent of its demand, and grid experts described the incident as complex, noting early warning signs of voltage oscillations and a sudden power drop affecting the Spain-France interconnector.
- Authorities restored full grid operation within 24 hours, confirmed the network is stabilized, and continue investigating causes while acknowledging the challenges of heavily renewable-dependent grids.
192 Articles
192 Articles
Massive Blackout: "People have died, this problem needs to be taken seriously"
A week after the huge blackout that hit Portugal and Spain, Belgian energy minister Mathieu Bihet (MR) visited the control centre of Elia in Brussels. A sensitive point, parallel to the visit, was also invited to the discussions. ...
Think Green Energy Is So Great? Take a Look at Spain, Portugal
Whereas authorities currently remain unclear regarding the cause or causes of a major power disruption turning off lights, and paralyzing lives of approximately 55 million people across Spain, Portugal, and southern France, they might serve as prescient lessons regarding the importance of securing power grids from combined green energy vulnerabilities and cyber-terrorist threats. It began suddenly on a sunny day when within a few seconds, 15 gig…
Starlink shines in Spain & Portugal during historic blackout crisis
SpaceX’s Starlink saw an unprecedented demand in Spain and Portugal during a historic blackout, as mobile and internet users turned to the service amid widespread telecom disruptions. The Iberian Peninsula’s power outage exposed vulnerabilities in traditional networks, driving a 35% surge in Starlink usage, with Spain recording a 60% increase above average by April 29, according to data analyzed by FT. Ookla’s internet access analysis revealed r…
How fragile power grids and extreme weather combined to cause Europe’s biggest blackout in decades
A widespread blackout in Spain, Portugal, and parts of France has exposed the growing vulnerabilities of modern power grids as they adapt to climate change, cyber threats and the renewable energy transition.Jillian Ambrose reports for The Guardian.In short:Europe’s largest blackout in over 20 years disrupted Spain, Portugal, and parts of France, with experts warning that no grid can be fully immune to collapse.While natural disasters and extreme…
Spain's push for net-zero backfires with crippling power outage across 2 nations
Last Monday was a tough day for citizens of Spain and Portugal. Both countries were hit by an hourslong power outage that some say was the worst such event in living memory. What they did not get was a clear explanation of how it all happened. At least not from the government.Potential culprits brought forward include the overuse of renewable energy such as solar or wind, a cyberattack, human error, extreme weather and government policy. However…
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