Massive power outages reportedly hit Spain and Portugal on Monday, shooting down traffic lights, ATMs and telephone lines and forcing the evacuation of subway systems in both countries.
According to the Associated Press, a picture displayed on the Spanish Electric Power website shows that it went from 27,500 MW to nearly 15,000 at around 12:15 p.m. local time.
“It seems that this obviously is a problem with the distribution network in Spain. This is still being determined,” Portuguese cabinet minister Leitão Amaro told the National News Agency.
The exact cause of the power outage is not yet known. The National Cybersecurity Centre in Portugal issued a statement saying there was no indication that it was caused by a cyber attack.
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On Monday, April 28, spectators roamed inside the Madrid Open Tennis Championship venue during a power outage. (AP/Manu Fernandez)
Videos aired on Spanish TV show people evacuated the metro station in Madrid and stopped trains in Barcelona. The report said that the Spanish parliament was also left in the dark public broadcaster RTVE.
The ATP Tour said the game in the open tennis match in Madrid was suspended due to power outages.
In Portugal, several Lisbon metro vehicles were evacuated, the court stopped working, and ATMs and electronic payment systems were affected. Traffic lights in Lisbon also stopped working.
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People tried to board a crowded bus after the metro stopped running in Lisbon, Portugal on Monday, April 28, 2025. （AP/Armando Franca）
According to Reuters, both Portugal and Spanish governments have convened emergency cabinet meetings to resolve the situation.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also visited the grid operator Red Eléctrica, following efforts to restore power.
Chefs at a takeaway restaurant work in the dark kitchen with a phone flashlight during a power outage in Madrid on Monday. (Reuters/Susanna Vera)
Eduardo Prieto, head of operations at Red Eléctrica, told reporters that this was unprecedented, calling the event “excellent and extraordinary”.
“We began to reclaim electricity in the northern and southern peninsula, which is key to gradually satisfying the power supply. As the power generation units are connected, the process involves gradual power on the transmission grid.”
A dark metro station in Lisbon, Portugal attacked Spain and Portugal at about noon Monday. (Adri Salido/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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It added: “The reasons are being analyzed and all resources are committed to addressing the issue.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
