Today's News: Massive Power Outage Across Spain and Portugal
Authorities worked through the day and night to gradually restore power, but the outage highlighted vulnerabilities in the interconnected European power grid.
Photo: Oscar Corral/EL PAÍS
Overview
Date: April 28, 2025
Topic: Massive Power Outage Across Spain and Portugal
Summary: A widespread and sudden power outage struck Spain and Portugal on April 28, 2025, disrupting transportation, communications, and public services. The cause remains unclear, though initial investigations point to a technical disturbance linked to extreme temperature variations, not a cyberattack. Authorities worked through the day and night to gradually restore power, but the outage highlighted vulnerabilities in the interconnected European power grid and left millions scrambling to adapt to the sudden loss of electricity.
Sources
The New York Times: Widespread Power Outage Hits Spain and Portugal
CNN: Spain and Portugal hit by unexplained power blackout, wiping out traffic lights and causing travel chaos
Fox News: Large parts of Spain, Portugal struck by massive power outage
The Washington Post: Massive power outage hits Spain and Portugal
The Wall Street Journal: Spain, Portugal Hit by Sweeping Blackout
EL PAÍS: What is known and what is not known about the massive blackout in Spain
The Guardian: Tens of millions across Spain and Portugal hit by huge power outage
Key Points
Power was lost across nearly the entire Iberian Peninsula around midday, impacting transportation, hospitals, businesses, internet access, and phone networks.
Authorities in Spain and Portugal convened emergency meetings to coordinate the response, and efforts to restore power began within hours, relying on support from France and Morocco.
Officials from multiple sources indicated no immediate evidence of a cyberattack, instead citing technical anomalies and possible atmospheric disturbances as contributing factors.
Recovery was gradual, with significant portions of Spain and Portugal still without full power into the evening; transportation disruptions persisted into the next day.
Citizens experienced widespread panic buying, ATM outages, and reliance on backup generators, especially in hospitals and essential services.
Unique Highlights
The New York Times described the societal response in rich detail, from people improvising manual payment systems to stranded museum-goers at the Prado.
CNN provided insight into emergency responses, including calls for a national emergency declaration and deployment of the military in Spain.
Fox News specifically reported that Portugal's REN attributed the blackout to a "rare atmospheric phenomenon" causing "induced atmospheric vibration" in high-voltage lines.
The Washington Post emphasized the blackout's exposure of vulnerabilities in Europe’s interconnected power infrastructure even without extreme weather.
The Wall Street Journal highlighted the ripple effects on travel, noting over 150 canceled flights and shutdowns of manufacturing operations such as Volkswagen’s Seat plant.
EL PAÍS detailed that 60% of Spain’s electricity generation vanished in just five seconds, a collapse considered unprecedented by local experts.
The Guardian captured human-scale chaos, such as metro passengers using their phones as flashlights and shoppers scrambling for bottled water.
Contrasting Details
Fox News pointed more definitively to a rare atmospheric event as the cause, while The Washington Post and The Guardian reported ongoing uncertainty and investigations.
EL PAÍS raised speculation around a potential cyberattack early in the reporting, later clarifying there was no confirmed evidence, whereas CNN and The New York Times reported stronger denials from officials.
The Wall Street Journal and CNN both stressed the interconnected vulnerability of Europe's grid, but Fox News framed it more narrowly as a Spanish-originated technical problem.
The Guardian reported that more than 60% of Spain's substations were back online by late evening, while The New York Times cited a lower figure of about 50% restoration by a similar timing.
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