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Power was almost entirely restored across Spain by early Tuesday morning, though many questions remained about the cause of one of the most severe blackouts Europe has seen, impacting both Spain and Portugal.
According to Spain’s electricity operator, Red Eléctrica, more than 99% of the country’s energy demand had been met again by 6.30am on Tuesday.
Authorities in both countries had worked through the night to bring electricity back after a massive outage on Monday that grounded flights, halted metro systems, interrupted mobile networks, and left ATMs out of service.
Before sunrise, power had returned to multiple areas in Spain and Portugal, even as both nations were still grappling with the effects of a widespread outage that turned airports and train stations into temporary shelters for stranded passengers.
By 6am, Red Eléctrica confirmed that energy demand had been restored beyond 99%. Many residents, including those in Madrid, had spent Monday night in complete darkness.
The normally illuminated spires of Barcelona’s iconic Sagrada Familia faded into the night sky, while city streets stayed largely empty despite some areas regaining electricity, as people chose to remain indoors following a chaotic day.
‘We have a long night ahead,’ Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (main image) said in a late Monday address. ‘We are working with the goal of having power restored to the entire country.’
Cheers rang out from balconies across Madrid as power began to return to neighbourhoods.
Still, more than 16 hours after the outage began, many people across the Iberian Peninsula struggled to reconnect with loved ones as mobile phone services remained unreliable.
With metro services suspended, train stations emptied and businesses shuttered, thousands poured onto the streets of Madrid. Some attempted to hitch rides, while others faced long walks home on foot.
National television aired footage showing commuters climbing out of darkened trains stuck inside tunnels.
Spanish emergency services reported rescuing around 35,000 people trapped on trains and in underground systems. Sánchez noted that as of 11pm, 11 trains were still awaiting evacuation.
The uncertainty over when full power would return left cities tense and anxious.
In Barcelona, officials provided 1,200 camp beds in indoor recreation centres to accommodate stranded residents and international travellers. Throughout Barcelona and Madrid, people were seen sleeping on station benches and floors.
As internet and mobile services flickered out in both Spain and Portugal, battery-powered radios quickly sold out. Those who could still access updates shared information with others in the streets.
Long lines formed outside the few supermarkets still operating on backup generators in Barcelona and Lisbon, as residents stocked up on essentials like dry foods, bottled water, flashlights and candles. With electronic registers down, clerks resorted to counting cash manually.
Few petrol stations remained open, creating frantic scenes as drivers searched for fuel without functioning traffic signals. Residents who relied on electric keys found themselves locked out of their homes and garages.
For those with urgent medical needs, the blackout posed serious risks. Some hospitals managed to stay operational with generator power, but others struggled to maintain critical services like refrigeration for insulin, dialysis and oxygen support.
Officials refrained from pinpointing the cause of the massive outage — the second major power failure in Europe within a few months, following a 20 March fire that paralysed Heathrow Airport, Britain’s busiest travel hub.
They stressed that a blackout of this magnitude, affecting roughly 60 million people across the Iberian Peninsula, was almost unprecedented. Spain’s overseas territories — including the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, Ceuta and Melilla — were unaffected.
‘We have never had a complete collapse of the system,’ Sánchez said, noting that Spain’s power grid lost 15 gigawatts — about 60% of national demand — within just five seconds.
In his televised statement on Monday night, Sánchez said investigations into the outage were ongoing. Meanwhile, Portugal’s National Cybersecurity Centre dismissed widespread rumours of sabotage, confirming there was no evidence of a cyberattack.
Speaking from Brussels, Teresa Ribera, an executive vice president of the European Commission, also ruled out sabotage. Nevertheless, she said, the outage ‘is one of the most serious episodes recorded in Europe in recent times’.
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Casi el 50% del suministro nacional se ha restablecido.
Los ciudadanos deben saber que todos los recursos del Estado están siendo movilizados para recuperar la normalidad del suministro cuanto antes.
Se va a trabajar a destajo, durante toda la noche. Con profesionalidad y… pic.twitter.com/kxp1RjpSjG
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) April 28, 2025
Situación del sistema eléctrico peninsular a las 07:00h:
➡️Recuperado el 99,95% de la demanda (25.794MW).
➡️Seguimos trabajando desde el Centro de Control Eléctrico para la total normalización del sistema.
— Red Eléctrica (@RedElectricaREE) April 29, 2025
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