On Monday, a massive loss of power left nearly all of Spain and Portugal without electricity. The outage lasted through the night, but power has now been restored in both countries. The cause of the problem is still unknown.
The blackout began around 12:30 on Monday afternoon and hit rapidly. In only five seconds, Spain lost roughly 60% of the electricity the country needed. In almost no time, the power went out across nearly all of Spain and Portugal.
The size of the blackout was a huge surprise. One expert on European electricity said the outage was the sort of thing that only happened every 50 to 100 years.
(Source: Seoane Prado [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons.)
Even though it was daylight when the power first went out, the blackout caused huge problems – especially with transportation. Traffic signals didn’t work, so in some places, police had to direct traffic. Flights had to be canceled or delayed. Trains and subways – many powered by electricity – stopped running. Many people were left stranded in airports, train stations, and on trains.
Schools and businesses across the two countries were forced to close. Many hospitals relied on backup generators. Stores were unable to use their electronic systems. Offices had no lights, air conditioning, or working computers. Elevators, and the people inside them, got stuck. The power outage also took out many phone and internet services.
People were relieved as power began to slowly return across Spain and Portugal, bringing light and power back to homes, businesses, and government buildings. Happy shouts could be heard in Madrid as the electricity came back on. By Tuesday morning, most people in both countries had power once again.
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Schools and businesses across Spain and Portugal were forced to close. Many hospitals, like the one above in Spain, had to rely on backup generators for emergency power. Offices had no lights, air conditioning, or working computers. Elevators, and the people inside them, got stuck.
As the electricity returned, services began to return to normal. Most grocery stores were open and had food. Most businesses were able to return to a regular work schedule right away.
But many transportation systems first had to take care of the travelers who had been stranded by the power outage before they could return to normal operations. In Portugal, for example, plane traffic at Lisbon’s airport isn’t expected to get back to normal for a few days.
On Monday, the Madrid Open tennis tournament canceled 22 matches because of the blackout. But action was back in full swing on Tuesday.
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As the electricity returned, services began to return to normal. But many transportation systems first had to take care of the travelers who had been stranded by the power outage. Above, passengers wait for their trains at Atocha station in Madrid on Tuesday, the day after the massive blackout.
Red Eléctrica, Spain’s national electric company, says it still hasn’t figured out what caused the blackout, but it said there were no signs of a computer attack. The company also says the outage wasn’t caused by bad weather or human mistakes.
About half an hour before the blackout, there was a problem on a high power line between Spain and France. This may be related to the blackout, but it was not enough to cause the whole problem.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the government would work hard to find out what had happened, and make sure the problem never happened again.