A major power outage struck Spain and Portugal on Monday, affecting several regions, including their capitals. The widespread blackout disrupted subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights, ATM machines and more. Madrid’s Barajas International Airport was left without power and telecommunications have also been affected due to the blackout. According to Cadena Ser, Spain’s Prime Minister and Energy Minister are en route to the Spanish grid operator Red Eléctrica to oversee the ongoing situation.

According to Reuters, Lisbon airport was running on back-up generators after the outage, while AENA, which manages 46 airports in Spain, reported flight delays around the country. The power failure began shortly after midday local time, leaving major facilities, including RTVE’s newsroom, Spain’s parliament in Madrid, and subway stations, in the dark. A graph on Spain’s electricity network website showed a sharp drop in demand from 27,500MW to nearly 15,000MW at around 12:15 p.m. Within hours, Spain’s grid operator announced recovery efforts in the north and south, aiming to gradually restore power across the country.

TAP Air Portugal has issued a warning to its passengers, urging them not to travel to airports until further notice. In a statement posted on its official Facebook page, the airline said that some of its services are not operating normally and requested travelers to wait for further updates. Passengers are advised to stay tuned for additional information regarding flight schedules and operations.

Authorities were unable to determine the cause of the outage for at least an hour after it occurred. While a possible cyber attack has not been ruled out, investigations are still ongoing, according to officials. In response, a crisis committee has been established in Spain to manage the situation, as reported by sources familiar with the matter. In response to the widespread power outage, both the Spanish and Portuguese governments held emergency cabinet meetings. The outage also briefly impacted parts of France, particularly areas bordering northeastern Spain.

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Millions left without electricity

Such a large-scale outage is rare in the region. Red Eléctrica, Spain’s grid operator, confirmed the outage impacted the Iberian Peninsula and is currently being assessed. While the exact number of affected people remains unclear, the combined population of Spain and Portugal exceeds 50 million. 

In Portugal, the outage hit Lisbon, surrounding areas, and other regions across the country, including the north and south. Portugal’s government indicated that the outage likely stemmed from an issue outside the country, possibly with the distribution network in Spain. Minister Leitão Amaro stated that the issue is still under investigation.

E-Redes, Portugal’s electricity distributor, attributed the outage to a “problem with the European electricity system,” and said the company had to cut power in certain areas to stabilize the grid. Parts of France were also affected, according to the distributor.

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“Plans to restore the electricity supply have been activated in collaboration with companies in the sector following the zero that occurred in the peninsular system. The causes are being analysed and all resources are being dedicated to solving it,” Red Electrica said in a post on X. 

Railways and flight services down in Spain

Spain’s national railway operator, Renfe, reported a nationwide shutdown of the electricity grid at 12:30 local time (11:30 BST), halting all train services. The company confirmed that no trains were departing from any stations across the country. Additionally, the Portuguese police informed that the traffic lights were affected across the nation and the the metro was also closed in Lisbon and Porto.

Spanish airport operator AENA has reported that some Spanish airports are experiencing disruptions due to the power outage, but contingency generators are currently active to manage the situation.

Madrid Open suspended

In addition to the railway disruption, play at the Madrid Open tennis tournament was suspended on Monday due to a major power outage affecting Spain and Portugal. The ATP Tour confirmed that two singles matches and one doubles match were in progress when the power cut occurred at 12:34 p.m. local time (10:34 GMT). 

The outage disrupted the use of electronic line-calling systems and caused a spider cam to hang over the court at Manolo Santana Stadium. At the time of the interruption, Grigor Dimitrov was leading Jacob Fearnley 6-4, 5-4 in the main stadium. Women’s matches were also scheduled to take place.

In Lisbon, several subway cars were evacuated, and the power failure caused widespread disruption, including halted courts, non-functional ATMs, and traffic lights. Mobile phone networks were largely down, though some apps remained operational.

The full extent of the disruption is still being assessed, but the event highlights the vulnerability of critical infrastructure during large-scale power failures.