Importance Score: 75 / 100 🔴
Investigators analyzing the most significant power disruption in recent European annals, which engulfed major cities in Spain and Portugal in darkness on Monday, have verified that no cyberattack occurred.
Red Eléctrica, Spain’s power network manager, confirmed that the outage was not deliberately orchestrated.
The Initial Assessments
The head of services at Red Eléctrica, Eduardo Prieto, conveyed on Tuesday morning that initial inquiries exclude the possibility of a cybersecurity event.
Prieto further stated that there were no signs indicating intrusion into Red Eléctrica’s monitoring infrastructure.
Chronology of the Events
Two successive incidents occurred at 12:32 PM on Monday, and again a minute later resulted in a widespread power supply failure across the Iberian Peninsula. Although the system endured the first disruption, the second proved overwhelming.
Prieto identified the origin of the issue in south-west Spain, where the country generates a substantial amount of its solar energy.
Regional Reactions to the Iberia-wide Blackout
Portugal’s government also stated that no cyberattack took place. A government spokesperson, addressing CNN Portugal, mentioned the lack of evidence concerning a malevolent act.
“Our findings suggest a malfunction in the power transmission system,” the spokesperson declared.
Restoration Efforts & Recovery Progress
By Tuesday morning, every electrical substation in Spain was active, re-establishing 99.95% of the power infrastructure. Similarly, in Portugal, the network operator REN reported complete functionality by 11:30 PM on Monday evening.
Government and Transportation Updates
- Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, expressed that experts were diligently restoring full power while investigating the root cause.
- Sánchez acknowledged the unprecedented nature of the outage, noting that 15 gigawatts of energy—equivalent to 60% of total usage—vanished abruptly.
All of Spain’s airports resumed operations Tuesday, though travelers were urged to confirm flight statuses and transportation details with airline carriers. The national railway operator, Renfe, reported incremental recovery of train services, with local routes in Murcia, Extremadura, and Andalucía temporarily suspended.
Causal Speculations & Weather Factors
Aemet, Spain’s meteorological service, dispelled weather-related speculation by stating no unusual atmospheric conditions occurred on April 28.
Moreover, REN dismissed a social media claim attributing the blackout to a rare atmospheric event originating from Spain’s power grid.
Public Response and Preparedness
- Madrid’s metro services had mostly resumed, with approximately 80% functionality during the morning rush hour.
- The government of Catalonia noted lingering disruptions in local train services.
- Commutes in Madrid resumed, with residents accessing essential services, including banking and local amenities.
Public Impact
About 35,000 people were rescued from nearly 100 stagnant trains following Monday’s blackout. In Madrid, 150,000 individuals were safely evacuated from metro stations and tunnels.
Blackouts in Europe
Major power disruptions in Europe are rare. Notably, a fault with a French power line affected Italy and Switzerland in 2003, causing 12 hours of blackouts, and an overloaded German power network provoked cross-border power cuts in 2006 in countries including Spain.
Back to Normalcy
By Tuesday morning, daily routines resumed for many, with shops reopening and residents attending to essential financial transactions. Madrid Atocha station, originally a makeshift campsite for stranded travelers overnight, gradually returned to normal operations.
The scene at Atocha illustrated the resilience of residents who, despite the arduous circumstances, persevered through prolonged stays and limited access to amenities.