London – Millions of people in Spain, Portugal and parts of southern France lost energy on Monday after a “severe interruption” in the European electrical system, said Spanish prime minister.
The cause of the interruption is still unknown, said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in comments on Monday night, local time.
However, Red Eléctrica, the corporation that operates the national electricity grid in Spain, said in an X position that 82.4% of the Iberian Peninsula had recovered electricity on Monday night, and more than 99% of the national substations were operational.
An employee is close to refrigerators and freezers off in a supermarket in Burgos on April 28, 2025, during a mass energy cut that affects the entire Iberian Peninsula and south of France.
César Manso/AFP through Getty Images
The Spanish government said that he convened an emergency crisis meeting on Monday to fix the situation as soon as possible.
The Interior Minister of Spain declared a national emergency in multiple regions, including the communities of Madrid and Andalusia, due to the blackout.
A woman uses the flashlight of her cell phone in the dark after the matches are suspended due to an energy cut in Madrid Open in Park Manzanares, Madrid, Spain, April 28, 2025
Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters
The interruption began at noon on Monday, when 15 generation gigawatts “suddenly lost the system” in just five seconds, according to Sánchez, who said that all the potential causes of the disappearance are being analyzed.
There is no evidence of a cyber attack, according to the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa.
Red Electrica said he was working to restore power to Continental and Portugal.
“The supply is progressively restoring in all electrical areas of the territory, with 45% of the substations of the transmission network already energized,” the company said in an update on Monday night.
Red Eléctrica had previously said that electricity should be completely restored within six to 10 hours.
The company said it was also working to provide energy from generators, which is part of the procedure to restore the power supply.
A seller of a sports store works with a head light in Burgos on April 28, 2025, during a mass energy cut that affects the entire Iberian Peninsula and south of France.
César Manso/AFP through Getty Images
Sanchez said during a press conference on Monday night that the authorities are working to determine the origins of the power cut.
“We are working to know the origins and reason of this incident,” Sánchez said in Spanish. “We are using all our resources to solve the problem.”
Meanwhile, the authorities asked people to stay at home and avoid circulating while emergency generators were also being implemented.
People with their luggage wait outside the Humberto Delgado airport after a general electricity closure in Lisbon, Portugal, on April 28, 2025.
Patricia de Melo Moreira/AFP through Getty Images
“The plans to restore the electricity supply have been activated in collaboration with companies in the sector after zero that occurred in the peninsular system,” Red Eléctrica wrote in an earlier publication on Monday on Monday. “The causes are being analyzed and all resources are dedicated to solving it.”
Airports in the country were not closed, but they are seeing mass delays. Humberto Delgado airport in Lisbon was seeing the most canceled and delayed flights of any airport in the world, according to FamousWith the Prat de Barcelona-el Airport and Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barojas airport not far away. The main international airports of Portugal in Lisbon and Porto were expected to resume normal service on Monday, Monday, the authorities said.
The interruption affected more than 100 trains in Spain, said Sánchez. The Armed Forces helped approximately 35,000 passengers who had been trapped, he said. Train services are not expected to resume on Tuesday.
However, hospitals in Madrid and Barcelona are expected to cancel the medical treatment of routine on Monday to partially resume normal operations on Tuesday, authorities said.
The power cuts affected the Open of Madrid, with the tennis matches canceled on Monday “to guarantee the safety of the players, fans and personnel,” the tournament saying In a statement.
This is a development story. Consult the updates again.
