Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Massive Blackout Hits Spain, Portugal, and Southern France

Authorities cite a fault in Spain's power grid as investigations continue, while partial restorations and cross-border aid aim to resolve outages within hours.

Image
Image
Des employés d'un supermarché de la ville espagnole de Burgos, ce lundi 28 avril 2025.
Image

Overview

  • A widespread power outage disrupted electricity across the Iberian Peninsula and southern France on April 28, affecting millions and halting essential services.
  • Initial investigations suggest the blackout originated from a fault in Spain's transmission network, with no evidence of a cyberattack reported so far.
  • Emergency measures included shutting down Spanish nuclear plants and France providing 700 MW of electricity, with capacity to increase to 950 MW if needed.
  • Partial power has been restored in several regions, and officials project a full recovery within 6–10 hours if operations proceed smoothly.
  • The outage caused significant disruption, including halted train and metro services, darkened streets, and widespread reliance on generators for critical services.