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Iberian Peninsula Power Blackout Investigation Focuses on Grid Failures

Spanish authorities probe technical failures, renewables' role, and potential sabotage as they work to prevent future disruptions.

Indian man, his Malaysian wife share how they navigated 12-hour blackout in Portugal
Montage of newspapers by Kerry Cleaver for Carbon Brief.
Piles of unwashed personal clothes and hotel laundry are stocked inside Speed Queen launderette the day after the outage in central Madrid, Spain, April 29, 2025. REUTERS/Ana Beltran

Overview

  • A massive blackout on April 28 left nearly 60 million people across Spain, Portugal, and parts of France without electricity for hours.
  • Investigators are examining two rapid generation loss events in southwestern Spain, which triggered cascading failures across the grid.
  • Spain's grid operator REE has ruled out cyberattacks, human error, and unusual weather as causes but continues to analyze extensive data.
  • Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has convened private energy firms, pledged systemic reforms, and is coordinating with EU regulators on resilience improvements.
  • Officials refute claims that Spain's reliance on renewables caused the outage, though experts highlight grid stability challenges with low-inertia systems.