A massive power outage swept across Spain and Portugal on Monday, April 28, 2025, leaving tens of millions without electricity for several hours and disrupting critical infrastructure. The blackout began around 12:30 p.m. local time and affected major cities including Madrid, Barcelona, and Lisbon.
Key services such as hospitals, subways, traffic signals, and ATMs were impacted, and high-speed train services were immobilized, stranding passengers for hours.
Spain’s grid operator reported a sudden loss of 15 gigawatts—approximately 60% of the national electricity demand. Preliminary analysis indicated two major “disconnection events,” with the second causing significant disruption and affecting connections to France’s grid as well. While the exact cause remains under investigation, early data showed voltage instability hours before the outage.
Authorities have ruled out a cyberattack, and while some speculated about the role of renewable energy sources, experts have not found conclusive links to the failure.
By the evening of April 28, power was largely restored across the affected regions. However, the incident has raised concerns about the stability of the interconnected European power grid and the challenges posed by the integration of renewable energy sources.
