An unprecedented blackout hit Spain, Portugal, and southern France at midday, leaving large parts of mainland Spain and Portugal without power. Work to restore power in the north and south of the country has already begun, Spanish electricity network operator Red El?ctrica wrote on the X platform, saying the process would take between six and ten hours. The cause of the outage is currently unknown, but is believed to be due to sudden temperature fluctuations in Spain.
According to the newspaper Le P?is, the blackout is affecting infrastructure, telecommunications, and transport across Spain. Traffic lights and lifts in train stations, airports, and other public and private buildings have stopped working.
Thanks to the use of generators, the country’s hospitals continue to operate, according to the Spanish Ministry of Health. Due to the blackout, the Masters 1000 tennis tournament in Madrid, in which Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari participate, was interrupted.
No trains and traffic lights
The general power outage affects traffic, as well as transportation. According to the Spanish railways Renfe at 12.30 pm local time there was a blackout “across the entire national electricity network” with trains remaining stationary at stations. The Spanish airport management company Aena reports problems at airports in the country due to the extensive power outage, despite the operation of generators.
Passengers are advised to contact their airline for any questions, as there may be problems with transportation after landing. The newspaper El Pa?s, however, writes that the blackout was limited to the mainland and did not affect the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands.
Cyberattack on the Spanish network?
In neighboring Portugal, there was also a widespread blackout, almost throughout the entire territory, as reported by the broadcaster RTP. The blackout also affected southern France, with many households left without electricity for several minutes. The French electricity network operator RTE reported that the outage affected households in the French part of the Basque Country and that electricity had been restored.
The Spanish national institute for cybersecurity is investigating whether a hacker attack is behind the power outage, the newspaper El Pa?s writes on its website, adding that the European Commission is monitoring developments and will ensure a smooth exchange of information between all parties involved.
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