Massive Power Outage Cripples Spain and Portugal, Disrupts Transport and Communications

Widespread blackouts halted trains, triggered traffic jams, and affected airports as authorities work to trace the cause linked to a larger European grid issue.

Madrid/Lisbon, April 28, 2025 —
A massive power outage hit large parts of Spain and Portugal on Monday, disrupting major cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Seville, and Porto. Train services, airports, and even parliamentary proceedings in Madrid were severely impacted, local media reported.

Spanish broadcaster RTVE said the blackout struck around 12:30 PM local time, plunging metro stations, offices, and parts of Madrid’s city center into darkness. Traffic chaos ensued as signals went dark, forcing evacuations across Madrid’s underground network, according to Cadena SER radio.

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Power grid operator Red Electrica said it was coordinating with energy companies to restore supply, adding that backup systems had been activated. “This appears to be a wider European issue,” the operator stated on X (formerly Twitter). Notably, Spain’s Canary and Balearic Islands remained unaffected.

In Portugal, the blackout stretched across Lisbon, Porto, and parts of the north and south. Portuguese utility E-Redes blamed “a problem with the European electricity system” and said it deliberately cut supply in select areas to stabilize the network. Parts of France were also reportedly affected.

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Besides widespread transport disruptions, mobile phone networks faced outages in many areas, leaving residents reliant on limited app services.

Authorities in both countries are investigating the exact cause of the grid collapse, with early indications pointing to a broader systemic fault across Europe.

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Spain blackout, Portugal blackout, European power outage, Madrid blackout, Lisbon power outage, Red Electrica, E-Redes, Spain Portugal news, Energy crisis Europe, Global news