Spain’s leading criminal court has initiated an investigation to determine if the significant blackout that disrupted the Iberian Peninsula yesterday was the result of “an act of computer sabotage on critical infrastructure.” As the Audiencia Nacional stated, despite the unclear causes, “cyberterrorism is among” the potential explanations, making it essential to conduct a thorough investigation given the “critical situation” faced by the public.
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However, both the Spanish electricity grid operator, REE, and the Portuguese government have dismissed the possibility of a cyberattack as the root cause behind the extensive power outage that affected much of Spain and Portugal yesterday. Eduardo Prieto, the Chief of System Operations at REE, reassured the public during a press briefing that the electricity system is now stable and functioning normally. “There appears to have been an issue in the power transmission network,” he indicated.
The blackout brought daily life in Spain and Portugal to a near standstill, with flights grounded, public transport halted, and hospitals forced to suspend routine operations. Portugal’s grid operator, REN, confirmed that all its power stations were back “on stream” before midnight, while the Portuguese government reported train services resumed and electricity supply for all 6.4 million clients had been “normalized.”
In light of the outage, Spain’s Interior Ministry declared a national emergency, deploying 30,000 police officers nationwide to maintain order as both governments convened emergency cabinet meetings.
As locals in Madrid celebrated the restoration of power, the cause of the blackout remained ambiguous. Portugal suggested that the issue originated in Spain, while Spain indicated a disruption in its connection to France. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro stated that there was “no indication” that a cyberattack caused the outage, which commenced around 12:30 PM local time. Despite this, rumors of possible sabotage surfaced, prompting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to engage in discussions with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Mr. Sanchez revealed that Spain experienced a loss of 15GW of electricity generation in merely five seconds, equivalent to 60% of national demand. “This is something that has never happened before,” he said, as technicians scrambled to uncover the cause of such a dramatic drop.
Images of emergency services outside Madrid’s Atocha train station showcased the chaos, with many residents forced to prepare for an overnight stay.
Joao Conceicao, a board member at REN, noted that they had not dismissed the possibility of “a very large oscillation in electrical voltage, first in the Spanish system, which then spread to the Portuguese system.” He aptly remarked, “There could be a thousand and one causes; it’s premature to assess the cause.” Meanwhile, Spain’s grid operator, REE, attributed the crisis to a connection failure with France, stating that the power loss exceeded European system capacities, resulting in the disconnection of both Spanish and French grids, which ultimately led to the failure of Spain’s electrical system.
Prior to this, parts of France had already experienced a brief outage. RTE, the French grid operator, confirmed it had acted to supplement power to northern Spain following the blackout.
Power restoration began in areas such as the Basque Country and Barcelona in the early afternoon, with parts of Madrid regaining electricity later in the evening.
The blackout had far-reaching implications. Hospitals in Madrid and Catalonia halted all routine medical operations, focusing on critical patients with the aid of backup generators. Numerous Spanish oil refineries were shut down, affecting retailers including grocery chain Lidl and furniture giant IKEA. In Portugal, traffic lights malfunctioned nationwide, and cities like Lisbon and Porto saw their metro systems halted while trains were canceled across both countries. Prime Minister Sanchez revealed that approximately 35,000 train passengers were rescued from stranded trains, with 11 still trapped in more remote areas.
Images from a Madrid supermarket depicted long lines at checkout and empty shelves as residents hurried to stock up on essentials, while matches at the Madrid Open tennis tournament were suspended. The Bank of Spain reported that electronic banking was operating “adequately” on backup systems, although many residents encountered blank ATM screens. Traffic congestion ensued in Madrid’s city center, with self-appointed traffic wardens directing vehicles at intersections as local radio reported stranded commuters in stalled metro cars and elevators.
In a spontaneous display of resilience, many Spaniards took a half-day off, gathering in streets and plazas for impromptu social gatherings or cooking meals by candlelight at home. According to Cloudflare Radar, internet traffic plummeted by 90% in Portugal and 80% in Spain compared to previous weeks, highlighting the outage’s extensive reach.
Such large-scale power outages are rare in Europe. Notably, the 2003 outage stemming from a hydroelectric power line issue between Italy and Switzerland left the entire Italian peninsula without power for about 12 hours. A similar incident occurred in 2006 due to an overloaded power network in Germany that affected regions as distant as Morocco.
Approximately 43% of Spain’s energy derives from wind and solar sources, with nuclear energy contributing around 20% and fossil fuels accounting for 23%, according to energy think tank Ember.
In a surprising twist, remote areas of Greenland lost access to crucial satellite services, including internet and telephony. The Arctic island’s telecoms group announced it would investigate any potential connections between their service disruptions and the blackout in Spain, as the tusass telecom company confirmed a loss of connection to satellite equipment based in Spain.
While the precise impact on affected communities remains to be fully assessed, the situation showcases the interconnected nature of modern energy systems and the cascading effects a single failure can trigger.
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International – Monitoring.
