Power blackout: Major cities in Spain, Portugal hit hard; transport, ATMs, communications crippled

A sweeping blackout struck most of Spain and all of Portugal around noon on April 28, paralysing public transport, crippling communications, and plunging millions into uncertainty across the Iberian Peninsula. Parts of France were also briefly affected, according to Portugal’s grid operator, REN.

As power grids went dark and city centers came to a standstill, Spanish and Portuguese authorities launched urgent investigations into the cause — with a cyberattack not ruled out.

The unprecedented outage, described as highly unusual for Europe, threw major cities like Madrid, Barcelona, and Lisbon into chaos. Public transport services stopped mid-route, traffic lights failed across intersections, and phone networks faltered. In Madrid, metro stations were evacuated, while workers poured into the streets of the financial district.

Ambulances maneuvered through gridlocked traffic along Castellana Avenue, where police directed vehicles and pedestrians using loudspeakers. Across city centers, ATMs were reported inoperable, cutting off access to cash.

Spain’s government swiftly established a crisis committee to manage the emergency, while utilities activated backup systems, Red Eléctrica announced on Twitter. Portugal’s REN said it was investigating the disruption alongside French authorities. Yet, an hour after the outage began, officials admitted they had no clear explanation for the failure.

European Council President António Costa is reportedly in contact with Spanish and Portuguese prime ministers regarding the widespread blackout, according to Portuguese newspaper Público.

Meanwhile, multiple Spanish media outlets quoted a senior director at Red Eléctrica saying it could take "between six and ten" hours to restore full energy supplies across Spain, describing the situation as “unprecedented.”

What we know so far

• It's been more than two hours since the massive power cut struck Spain and Portugal.
• Trains have been evacuated, traffic lights are out, and businesses have been plunged into darkness.
• Internet services and mobile phone networks have also been severely disrupted, especially in Spain.
• Red Eléctrica says it is working with regional energy providers to restore supplies.
• Madrid’s Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida has urged residents to stay where they are.
• Portugal’s national airline TAP Air has advised passengers not to travel to airports until further notice.
• Parts of France briefly lost power, but French grid operator RTE reports its network is now stable.

What remains unclear

• Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the outage.
• There is no definitive timeline for when power will be fully restored, with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s office stating: "The government is working to identify the origin of this incident and dedicating all possible resources to resolve it as quickly as possible."