Power returns to Spain and Portugal. The outage's cause remains a
mystery
[April 30, 2025]
By SUMAN NAISHADHAM
MADRID (AP) — The cause of Spain and Portugal's widespread blackouts
remained a mystery on Tuesday, with some isolated disruption remaining
after power was largely restored.
One of Europe’s most severe blackouts grounded flights, paralyzed train
systems, disrupted mobile communications and shut down ATMs across the
Iberian Peninsula on Monday.
By 11 a.m. on Tuesday, the Spanish electrical system was functioning
normally, electricity operator Red Eléctrica said. Portuguese grid
operator REN said power had been restored to all 6.4 million customers.
As life began to return to normal, authorities in Spain had yet to
provide further explanation for why the nation of 49 million people lost
15 gigawatts — equivalent to 60% of its national demand — in five
seconds.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the government's
priorities were restoring Spain's electrical system and finding the
causes of the blackout so that a similar event “never takes place
again.”
Deaths are investigated
Spanish news agency EFE reported that authorities were investigating
five deaths – including three members of the same family — that could be
related to the blackout.
The three relatives died in Galicia due to possible carbon monoxide
inhalation from a generator, a woman died in Valencia from problems with
an oxygen supply machine and another died in a fire caused by a candle
in Madrid, EFE said.
Sabotage ruled out
Eduardo Prieto, director of services for system operations at Spain's
electricity operator, noted two steep, back-to-back “disconnection
events” before Monday's blackout. He told journalists that more
investigation was needed.
Spain’s meteorological agency, AEMET, said it hadn't detected any
“unusual meteorological or atmospheric phenomena," and no sudden
temperature fluctuations were recorded at its weather stations.
Portugal’s National Cybersecurity Center said there was no sign that the
outage resulted from a cyberattack. Teresa Ribera, an executive vice
president of the European Commission, also ruled out sabotage.
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Passengers crowd the train entrances at Sants station in Barcelona,
Spain, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Travel and tennis resume
The Madrid Open tennis tournament resumed after the blackout caused
22 matches to be postponed. A packed schedule Tuesday included
second-ranked Iga Swiatek advancing to the quarterfinals.
At Spain's largest train stations, droves of travelers waited
Tuesday to board trains, or to rebook journeys. At Madrid's Atocha
station, hundreds stood near screens waiting for updates. Many had
spent the night at the station, wrapped in blankets provided by the
Red Cross.
By 11 a.m. Tuesday, service on Madrid's subway system was fully
restored. In Barcelona, the system was operating normally, but some
commuter trains remained suspended in the afternoon because of
“electrical instability,” the company that runs the service,
Rodalies Catalunya, said on X.
In some parts of Spain, commuter and mid-distance services were
still suspended or running at reduced capacity.
Emergency workers in Spain said they had rescued around 35,000
passengers on Monday stranded along railways and underground. The
blackout was especially disruptive for transit systems, turning
sports centers, train stations and airports into makeshift refuges.
Rubén Carión was stranded on a commuter train outside Madrid but
opened a window and walked to the nearest station. He and a friend
later spent the night in Atocha station.
Sleeping on the floor “hungry, thirsty and tired,” the 24-year-old
described his experience in two words: “pure chaos.”
___
Associated Press journalists Helena Alves in Lisbon, Portugal, and
Teresa Medrano in Madrid contributed to this report.
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