A massive power outage hit the Iberian Peninsula on Monday 28 April, leaving millions of people in Spain and Portugal without power.
The power outages affected telecommunications, public transport and air traffic across both countries.
The cause of the power outage is still unknown and investigations are ongoing.
4.45 PM: Dan Jorgenson promises ‘thorough investigation’ by European Commission
Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, calls the power outage in Portugal and Spain “the most severe for almost two decades in Europe”, and promises to support the countries in “all possible ways. Including initiating a thorough investigation.”
4 PM: Portugal requests an independent investigation into the power outage
According to reports from Politico, the Portuguese government has requested an independent audit to “enlighten the Portuguese people regarding a serious problem that did not originate in Portugal”.
2.30 PM: Spain’s National Court opens investigation into whether the blackout resulted from a cyberattack
National Court Judge José Luis Calama has agreed to initiate proceedings to investigate whether yesterday’s power grid blackout could have been an act of cyber sabotage.
Spain’s National Christological Center, Red Eléctrica Corporación SA and the Police Intelligence Headquarters will need to present reports within the next ten days indicating the cause of the blackout.
2.15PM: Spanish Prime Minister shares findings so far
11.15 AM: Spanish grid back in the game
Red Electrica has announced that the operation of the peninsular electrical system has been normalised.
9 AM: REN confirms that the Portuguese national transmission network is stabilised
Portuguese grid operator REN confirmed that all substations are working again and the transmission grid has been stabilised.
“REN, in close collaboration with national and international network operators, was thus able to restore the RNT before the end of yesterday, with the network perfectly stabilised.”
8.30 AM: Load overviews for Portugal and Spain
Data from Entso-E’s Transparency Platform summarises the gradual load increase in Spain and Portugal on Monday 28 April, in the wake of the power blackout.
Spain:
Portugal
Tuesday 29 April – 7.55 AM: Red Electrica reports 99,95% of electricity demand recovered in mainland Spain
10.00 PM: Red Electrica reports 43% of demand being met
Red Electrica reported that around 11,899 MW of demand is being met – approximately 43% of the projected demand.
In a statement for the press, Eduardo Prieto, Director of Services for System Operation at Red Electrica, said that supply will continue to be gradually expanded until the whole country is covered.
9.50 PM: Ursula von der Leyen says “energy security crucial for EU”
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that she has spoken to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (Spain) and Prime Minister Luís Montenegro (Portugal) following the power outage in Spain and Portugal.
She highlighted that they will work together to restore the electricity system, “because energy security is crucial for the EU.”
Energy security – in all its forms and shapes – has been pushed higher on the European agenda in the wake of US President Trump’s tariffs. Last week, the IEA also held a conference on energy security, hosted by the UK. Global leaders called for increased collaboration amid rising security threats.
9.15 PM: REN uses Tapada do Outeiro gas plant and Castelo de Bode Power Plant for black start
Portugal’s grid operator Rede Elétrica Nacional (REN) confirms in a statement that it is progressively restoring power to priority points, namely hospitals, water supply and transport. However, they say it is difficult to give an hourly forecast of the progress.
REN states that a “significant voltage fluctuation in the Spanish grid at a time when Portugal was importing power from Spain” caused the blackout.
Following this fluctuation, the protection and control systems of the power plants went offline, causing the blackout.
The grid operator has started the black start operation using the Tapada do Outeiro gas plant.
“With the Castelo de Bode Power Plant and with the support of some connection with Spain, it is expected to restore supply to areas further south of the country in the medium term.”
REN emphasised that the black start needs to be done gradually and carefully in order to guarantee the safety and stability of the national grid.
7.37 PM: REE says “1/5 of the demand on the Iberian Peninsula recovered”
According to the latest statement of Red Electrica, 1/5th of the demand on the peninsula is recovered, of which 5,508MW is coming from own production and the interconnector with France.
They are working on energising the substations again, of which 45% of the substation parks are again able to support the transmission.
7 PM: Spanish Prime Minister emphasizes ‘focus on power restoration’
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that the cause of the power outage is still to be determined and that there is no “conclusive information”.
“So fa,r supply has been reestablished in various territories in the north and in the south of the peninsula, thanks to the interconnections with France and Morocco.
“Als,o the combined cycle and hydroelectric plants across the country have been reactivated which will enable supply to be recovered soon throughout Spain.
“Now we must focus on what is most important, which is restoring electricity to our homes,” he said.
Sánchez also urged citizens not to speculate and to seek information coming from official channels.
5 PM: Spanish nuclear power plants affected by blackouts
Data from Entso-E confirms that the nuclear power plants in Spain are affected by the power outage and are not producing power yet.
Spain’s power supply is currently mainly coming from renewable energy.
4.16 PM: “No indications of any cyber attack”
President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, says that at this point there are “no indications of any cyber attack”.
He is in touch with the prime ministers of Spain and Portugal to restore the power supply and find the cause.
4.05 PM: “Blackout stark reminder of how critical infrastructure resilience has become”
Wanda Buk, managing partner at Polish legal firm Business Law House and former board member of energy company PGE and Poland’s electricity association PKEE, said:
“The recent blackout is a stark reminder of how critical infrastructure resilience has become. While the exact cause of today’s outage is still unknown and could stem from various factors, what is clear is that depriving a country of electricity, even temporarily, can seriously destabilise its economy, public services, and security.
“As we transition to more complex and decentralised energy systems, ensuring stability, redundancy, and robust contingency planning is no longer optional — it’s a necessity. Now is the right time to have an honest, serious conversation about how we future-proof our infrastructure against increasingly frequent and unpredictable challenges.”
Buk’s sentiments were echoed by Andrew Gordon, Managing Director for the UK and Ireland at power management company Eaton: “Today’s outage is a reminder that energy resilience must be a strategic priority for businesses.
“Not only is it about prevention, but also how quickly and safely businesses can restore power when disruption strikes. Right now, organisations across Spain and Portugal will be working to get back up and running again to ensure financial and reputational damage is kept to a minimum.
“Even for those unaffected, this should be a wake-up call to make sure they are investing in the right technologies that can safeguard them from such costly and disruptive situations.”
3.35 PM: Red Electrica focuses on power restoration for generation units
Red Electrica says that the main focus of its power restoration efforts is on the generation units.
So far, the company has been able to restore voltage in “some substations in several areas in the north, south and west of the peninsula.”
Demand seems to be restored to about 13GW, according to REE’s real-time data overview.
3.30 PM: European Commission in touch with national authorities
The European Commission spokesperson, Paula Pinho, confirms that the European Commission is in touch with the authorities in Spain and Portugal, as well as ENTSO-E. The focus is on understanding the cause of the blackouts and restoring the system.
3.20 PM: Spanish government comes together in emergency meeting
Following the ongoing blackout, the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, will be chairing an emergency meeting with the National Security Council in Madrid at 3PM local time.
2.51 PM: ENTSO-E data shows actual loads vs forecast in Spain and Portugal
Real-time data from Entso-E for Portugal shows the significant difference between forecast/actual load data.
Source: Entso-E Transparency Platform Portugal
Real-time data from Entso-E for Spain shows the significant difference between forecast/actual load data.
Source: Entso-E Transparency Platform Spain
2.11 PM: REE data shows >10GW drop
Data from Spain’s national grid showcases the sudden power drop of more than 10GW at 12.30PM. The reason for this drop is not yet clear.
The real-time demand and supply data can be tracked on Red Electrica’s website.
Read about the energy transition in Spain and Portugal
1.33 PM: ‘Gradual restoration of power underway’
Red Electrica has begun to recover the power in the north and south of the peninsula, emphasising the need to take a ‘gradual approach’ in restoring the electricity supply.
Monday 28 April – 12.56 PM: Red Electrica confirms power outage
Spanish grid operator Red Electrica confirmed the outage on X: “The causes are being analyzed and all resources are being dedicated to solving it.”
Source: Enlit