Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — A massive blackout broke out in Spain and Portugal on Monday, April 28, 2025. The widespread power outage has caused transportation, healthcare, and communication systems to a near standstill and prompting Spain to declare a national emergency.
According to the Associated Press, the blackout began around 12:30 p.m. local time. Within seconds, much of the Iberian Peninsula was out of electricity without prior warning. Spain’s electrical grid lost an estimated 15 gigawatts (roughly 60% of national demand) within five seconds of the outage’s onset
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared a national emergency late Monday, deploying police and security forces to maintain order as cities descended into chaos.
The massive blackout across Spain and Portugal has raised questions about its cause, with early speculation pointing to a possible cyberattack.
However, Portugal’s National Cybersecurity Center quickly dismissed the theory. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also rejected the idea that a cyberattack was responsible.
“We are analyzing all potential causes without ruling out any hypothesis,” Sánchez said.
Widespread Impact
According to reports, the blackout had an immediate and widespread impact. Traffic lights failed, causing major gridlock in cities.
Train services were suspended nationwide, stranding commuters and leaving thousands trapped aboard halted trains. Authorities said emergency crews evacuated over 35,000 passengers from more than 100 stopped trains.
Airports were also affected, with flight schedules delayed or suspended due to the lack of power. Medical services in Hospitals in both countries were also disrupted, forced to rely on backup generators.
The blackout also affected telecommunication services, while mobile phone services failed in many areas.
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Howevee, according to Sánchez, power has begun to return to parts of northern and southern Spain through grid connections with France and Morocco. He added that combined-cycle and hydropower plants across the country have been reactivated to aid recovery.
As of Monday night, approximately 50% of the power supply had been restored, with full restoration expected by Tuesday evening.
Despite ongoing speculation, both Spanish and Portuguese authorities have yet to identify a definitive cause for the blackput.
(Raidi/Agung)
