The power grid stretching across Portugal, Spain, and into France is back up and running today, with local services scrambling to reach their full capacity after an ‘extraordinary’ blackout yesterday.
The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, said that a problem in the European grid caused the huge power outage that struck Spain, Portugal and parts of France.
Mr Sanchez described the problem in the European grid as a ‘strong oscillation’ and added that the cause is still being determined.
It was the second serious European power outage in less than six weeks after a March 20 fire shut down Heathrow Airport in the UK, and it came as authorities across Europe are upping defences against sabotage backed by Russia.
The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Centre said in a statement that there was no sign the outage was due to a cyber attack.
So what caused the blackout?
What is an oscillation in the power grid?
Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez described the problem in the European grid as a ‘strong oscillation’ and added that the cause is still being determined.
He went on to detail that, at 12.22 pm on Monday, Spain’s power grid lost 15 gigawatts, the equivalent of 60% of its national demand, in a matter of five seconds.
An oscillation in the power grid is when two separate voltages or currents cause a change in the flow of power, and can destabilise the system as a whole.
Visually, this can be seen when two different wavelengths of power collide, causing the rest of the system to destabilise.
Could renewable energy be behind the outage?
It’s too early to tell.
Spain is one of the world’s leaders in renewable energy, with many wind and solar plants.
Some online have claimed that Spain’s switch from coal to other renewable sources could have made the systems more vulnerable to an outage.
Kathryn Porter, an independent energy consultant, told the Mail Online: ‘The more you have wind and solar on the grid, the less stable the grid becomes and so the harder it is to manage faults.
‘I would say there’s a strong chance that the large amount of solar on the system created the conditions for this to be a widespread blackout and made it much worse.’
Investigations are ongoing to see if the renewable energy sector contributed to instability in the grid.
Tony Hasek, CEO and Co-founder at Goldilock, told Metro: ‘The disruption across Spain and Portugal is a stark reminder of how vulnerable modern critical infrastructure has become.
‘As national grids and essential services grow increasingly interconnected and digitally controlled, even minor faults can escalate rapidly into widespread outages. Building resilience through strategies such as physical network isolation, segmentation, and rapid containment is now critical.
‘Without robust protections in place, the risk of cascading disruptions – whether caused by system failure, human error, or malicious action – will only continue to grow.’
Is it a cyberattack?
No.
Red Electrica head of operations, Eduardo Priet, said the event was ‘exceptional and extraordinary’.
It was the second serious European power outage in less than six weeks after a March 20 fire shut down Heathrow Airport in the UK, and it came as authorities across Europe gird against sabotage backed by Russia.
The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Centre, in a statement, said there was no sign the outage was due to a cyber attack.
What happened?
Barcelona’s streets were filled with throngs of people milling about in front of darkened shops and offices and exchanging information on what had happened.
Immediate concerns were which phone companies still had some, at least, spotty coverage, or where internet access might be found.
Another concern was how to get home with the subway shut and public buses packed. Some took advantage of the lack of connectivity and transport to enjoy the sunshine on restaurant terraces.
In Terrassa, an industrial town 30 miles from Barcelona, stores selling generators were out of stock after people lined up to buy them.
In Portugal, a country of some 10.6 million people, the outage hit Lisbon and surrounding areas, as well as northern and southern parts.
Portuguese police placed more officers on duty to direct traffic and cope with increased requests for help, including from people trapped in lifts.
Hospitals and other emergency services in both Spain and Portugal switched to generators. Petrol stations stopped working.
Portugal’s National Authority for Emergencies and Civil Protection said backup power systems were operating.
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