Spain and Portugal were hit by a major power outage on Monday that disrupted public transport, caused massive traffic jams, and delayed flights, as utility companies raced to restore electricity to the grid.
Both the Spanish and Portuguese governments called emergency cabinet meetings in response to the outage, which also briefly impacted parts of neighboring France.
Power Operators says plans already in motions for restoration of power
Portugal’s utility operator REN confirmed a widespread blackout across the Iberian Peninsula and parts of France, while Spain’s Red Eléctrica said it was coordinating with regional energy providers to restore services.
“Plans for the gradual restoration of power are being activated in coordination with European energy producers and operators,” a REN spokesperson stated, adding that they are in constant communication with national civil protection authorities and investigating the cause of the incident.
People getting evacuated from Metro in Madrid
Spanish radio reports said portions of the Madrid Metro were being evacuated, and traffic in the city center was gridlocked as traffic lights failed, according to Cadena Ser Radio.
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Hundreds of office workers poured into the streets of Madrid, with a strong police presence directing traffic and patrolling central areas with flashing lights, a Reuters witness reported. One of the city’s prominent tower buildings housing the British Embassy was also evacuated, the witness said.
Local radio broadcasts also reported people trapped inside halted metro trains and elevators.
Key cities in Portugal paralyzed due to outage
In Portugal, authorities confirmed that traffic lights across the country were affected, metro services were suspended in Lisbon and Porto, and trains were brought to a standstill. Lisbon’s subway operator, Metropolitano de Lisboa, said trains were immobilized with passengers still aboard, according to the newspaper Público.
Meanwhile, Portugal’s national airline TAP reported that Lisbon airport was operating on backup generators, while Spain’s airport operator AENA noted flight delays at airports across the country.
In France, grid operator RTE said there was a short-lived outage that has since been resolved, and an investigation into the cause is underway.
