Major Power Outages in Spain, Portugal and Parts of France

Millions across Spain, Portugal, and parts of France experienced massive power outages on Monday, severely disrupting transport, telecommunications, and daily life. Authorities are racing to restore services.

April 28, 2025. By Mrinmoy Dey

Millions across Spain, Portugal, and parts of France have faced major power outages on Monday, disrupting daily life and halting transport and telecommunications.

Widespread blackouts left residents without electricity, with reports of mobile networks also going down in both Spain and Portugal. Madrid’s Barajas International Airport was among several airports forced to suspend operations due to the outage.

Trains became stranded in tunnels between stations, trapping passengers underground in Lisbon and Madrid metros. Trains were halted, metro services in Porto and Lisbon were shut, and traffic signals were disrupted nationwide.

The blackout also extended to residents in Andorra and border areas of France, with disruptions reportedly reaching parts of Belgium as well.

While the exact cause remains unclear, local media suggest that problems with the European electricity grid affected national networks across the Iberian Peninsula. Another potential cause under investigation is a fire on Alaric Mountain in southwest France, which damaged a high-voltage power line connecting Perpignan and Narbonne.

Red Eléctrica, Spain’s national grid operator, described the widespread power outage affecting Spain, Portugal, and parts of France as “exceptional and extraordinary,” estimating full restoration could take between six and ten hours. The company further said that it is working with energy providers to restore power, announcing that electricity supply is gradually returning to the north and south of the country.

The Spanish government convened an emergency meeting at Moncloa Palace to monitor the evolving situation.

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Power outage in Spain

Power blackout in Portugal

Power outage in France

Red Eléctrica

National grid operator of Spain