A major power failure has been touching Portugal and Spain since Monday noon, the causes of which remain indeterminate.
It is an important breakdown of electricity which caused a day of galley in Spain and Portugal this Monday, April 28. What lead many chaotic situations, particularly in transport, leading in particular the Minister of the Spanish Interior to decree the state of emergency in the regions which request it.
A few hours later, the situation has not yet returned to normal, electricity being restored only 50% in Spain this Monday evening.
• The galley in Spain and Portugal, a brief breakdown in France
It is around 12:30 p.m. in Spain when a power outage, of “exceptional” magnitude according to the Spanish electricity manager Ree, affects the whole country, but also Portugal.
This immense black-out complicated the daily life of millions of Spaniards and Portuguese. In Madrid, thousands of people returned home on foot, while many vehicles were taken in a monster traffic jam. In the evening, red lights and store facades were gradually turning.
Air transport was partially reduced, generators that made it possible to ensure minimum service for control towers. The Spanish nuclear power plants have, themselves, stopped, a normal security procedure in the event of an electricity cut.
Beyond transport, the power failure has also impacted more harmless daily moments. In the Madrid region alone, 286 operations took place to help people trapped inside elevators, according to regional authorities.
Hospitals had to interrupt some of their activities. Example, in the regions of Madrid and Catalonia, health establishments suspended their current operations, but were able to take care of patients in critical condition thanks to rescue generators.
In Lisbon, metro stations have closed their doors, as well as supermarkets and most shops and cafes. In the Portuguese capital, many people have referred to the buses to return to their homes, but traffic was chaotic, due to the failure of the red light system. Several residents have also rushed to stores to buy batteries and candles.
The breakdown temporarily affected France, only “a few minutes in the Basque Country” but the situation is “restored overall”, according to the RTE manager.
-• The origin of the still unknown failure
How to explain an electricity failure of such magnitude? Its origin is “probably in Spain”, according to Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, who evokes a “serious and unprecedented” situation.
For his part, the Spanish Prime Minister said “still not having any conclusive information on the causes”, praying to the inhabitants of “inquiring by the official channels”. “No hypothesis deviates,” according to Pedro Sanchez.
A hypothesis emerged from the Portuguese network manager Ren, for whom the breakdown could be linked to “extreme temperature variations” which could have destabilized the network in Spain.
The president of the European Council Antonio Costa indicated on X that there is “no indication of a cyber attack at this stage”.
• The situation gradually returns to normal
Several hours after the start of the failure, electricity gradually returns to Spain, up to 50% according to the Spanish Prime Minister.
“The objective is to continue to restore supply in the coming hours,” said Pedro Sanchez during a television statement.
For this, it counts in particular on gas and hydroelectric power plants.
According to the Spanish Minister for Transport Oscar Puente on X, 11 trains are still blocked with passengers on board. In Madrid, the light has returned to certain districts even if the metro mouths remain closed and the buses saturated.
In Portugal, the Prime Minister said at a press conference that the current will be restored throughout the country “in the coming hours”. An objective confirmed by the network manager for whom the current could be restored “this night”. The proof, the current begins to return this Monday evening to the capital, Lisbon, and 750,000 consumers saw their current being restored.
• France sends electricity to Spain and Portugal
The French manager of the RTE electricity network indicates that France sends “up to 2,000 megawatts” from electricity to Spain and Portugal this Monday evening “via The power lines that feed Catalonia and the Spanish Basque Country from France “. 2,000 megawatts which correspond to the power of two nuclear reactors on average.
