Dark day for Europe: What triggered massive blackouts in Spain and Portugal?

On April 28, 2025, a massive power outage plunged Spain, Portugal, and parts of France into darkness, marking one of the most significant blackouts in European history. The disruption affected tens of millions, halting transportation, suspending flights, and forcing hospitals and emergency services to rely on backup generators.
The blackout reportedly started around 12:30 p.m. local time and lasted for more than 12 hours. A 15 gigawatt power outage occurred in Spain in a matter of seconds, causing severe grid instability. Portugal and portions of France were able to experience the disturbance due to the interconnectedness of the European power grid.
Cyberattacks and unfriendly actions have been ruled out by authorities. REN, Portugal's grid operator, blamed the incident on a "rare atmospheric phenomenon" that caused abrupt temperature changes that resulted in numerous shutdowns. Another factor that might have contributed to the outage was damage to a high-voltage power cable caused by a fire on the Alaric mountain in southwest France.

With solar and wind power accounting for almost 80% of their electricity, Spain and Portugal are significantly dependent on renewable energy. Although others conjectured that this dependence could have played a role in the blackout, experts contend that the inadequate grid infrastructure to manage the unpredictability of renewable sources is the real problem. Insufficient energy storage and grid-forming inverters may increase the vulnerability of power systems to frequency disruptions.
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Transportation: Metro systems encountered unexpected malfunctions, and train services were halted.
Air travel: Both domestic and international travel were impacted by the grounded flights.
Healthcare: In order to preserve vital services, hospitals have shifted to backup generators.
Communication was hampered by the disruptions to internet and cellular networks.
There was tremendous mayhem in Madrid when traffic stalled because the lights were broken.

Power was progressively restored by the next day. Portugal recovered roughly 80% of its electricity supply, while Spain's electricity operator claimed that over 82% of power had returned. Following the activation of emergency procedures, authorities put in endless effort to stabilize the grid and look into the underlying reasons of the outage.
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This incident highlights the growing challenges of integrating renewable energy into existing power grids. While renewables play a crucial role in the transition to a sustainable future, ensuring grid stability will need substantial investment in infrastructure, such as advanced inverters and energy storage solutions. And as Europe continues its shift toward green energy, this blackout serves as a stark reminder of the need for resilient and adaptable power systems to maintain reliable service.