The day the lights went out
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At 11:33 am on Monday, 28 April 2025, a massive blackout occurred, affecting Spain, Portugal, and parts of southern France. This blackout was the largest Europe has ever experienced. At the time of writing, the exact cause remains unknown; however, authorities have ruled out a cyberattack.
So, what exactly happened?
Red Eléctrica, Spain’s electricity operator, reported two separate incidents involving power generation losses in southwestern Spain. These incidents destabilised the electrical grid, severing its crucial interconnection with France. Consequently, the system collapsed, impacting both Spanish and Portuguese networks.
At the time of the outage, Spain was exporting electricity to both France and Portugal. While power in France was swiftly restored, Spain and Portugal experienced prolonged outages lasting several hours.
The blackout caused severe disruptions. Mobile networks and internet services ceased operating, leaving people without communication apart from traditional b...
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