Iberian Peninsula Plunged into Darkness: Spain and Portugal Hit by Massive Power Outage
At 12:30 p.m. on April 28, 2025, traffic lights in downtown Madrid suddenly went dark, chaos broke out in metro stations, and flight information screens at the airport went black. A massive blackout swept across Spain and Portugal, leaving more than 50 million residents of the Iberian Peninsula caught off guard.
Described by the EU as “Europe’s most severe blackout in recent years”, the outage lasted nearly 10 hours, also affecting parts of southern France and even triggering temporary breakdowns in social order. What exactly happened? This article reviews the timeline and provides an in-depth analysis.
Image credit: Xinhua News Agency (Juan Gosa)
I. Timeline of Events: From Collapse to Gradual Recovery
12:30 p.m. – Spain’s power grid experienced a sudden load drop of over 10 million kilowatts, triggering a nationwide collapse. Portugal soon followed with a full blackout. Spain’s state railway company halted all trains, stranding 35,000 passengers. Madrid Airport switched to emergency power, but widespread flight delays persisted.
1:00–6:00 p.m. – Communication systems went down, residents rushed to hoard supplies, and bottled water disappeared from supermarket shelves. Hospitals activated backup generators, gas stations were shut down, and the Madrid Open tennis tournament was suspended.
9:00 p.m. – Spain announced 50% power restoration, while France provided 700 MW of electricity via cross-border lines. Portugal prioritized restoring electricity to key facilities.
Early morning (next day): Spain’s power supply recovered to over 80%, though some regions remained in a state of emergency, with schools closed and remote work activated.
Image credit: Chao News (courtesy of interviewee Li Bei)
II. Impact: Dual Shock to Society and Economy
Transportation Paralysis
Across Spain, 5,000 trains were halted, metro passengers were evacuated, and highways gridlocked due to signal failures. Portugal shut down parts of its metro network, while the European Air Safety Organization reported over 100 flights delayed or canceled.
Public Safety & Daily Life Crisis
With communications down, residents relied on radios for updates. ATMs and mobile networks failed, hospitals ran on emergency power, and panic buying spread rapidly. Supermarket shelves in Madrid were emptied as residents stockpiled canned goods and bottled water.
Economic Losses
According to Bloomberg Economics, the outage may directly shave 0.5% off Spain’s quarterly GDP, with commercial activity paralyzed and tourism badly hit. Rail disruptions alone caused over €10 million in daily losses.
Image credit: WallstreetCN (Reuters)
III. Global Lessons: Energy Transition Cannot Be Just About “Acceleration”
For more than 50 million Iberian residents, this blackout was a paradox of the modern era—in a region hailed as a “green energy benchmark” with record renewable installations, people were forced to rely on candles for light and radios for news.
With direct economic losses estimated at over €4.7 billion, the crisis exposed fatal vulnerabilities in an aggressive energy transition and highlighted a global reality: when the “anchors” of traditional energy systems are removed, the new energy era may prove far more fragile than imagined.
As experts debate whether the outage was caused by the “instability of renewable energy” or structural flaws in the grid itself, one thing is clear: this serves as a global warning on energy transition. Finding the balance between carbon neutrality goals and energy security will remain a pressing challenge for all nations.
Image credit: Beijing News
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