A widespread power outage struck Spain and Portugal on April 26, 2025, leaving millions without electricity for up to six hours and disrupting transport, businesses, and hospitals across the Iberian Peninsula.
The blackout, described as one of the region’s worst in decades, began at 3:15 a.m. local time and was caused by a failure in a high-voltage transmission line near Lisbon, compounded by a cyberattack on Spain’s grid operator, Red Eléctrica, as reported by Reuters and BBC. By midday, power was restored to 90% of affected areas, but investigations into the incident’s full scope are ongoing.
In Spain, the outage hit Madrid, Barcelona, and Andalusia hardest, with 4 million households and 200,000 businesses affected, per the Spanish Ministry of Energy. Portugal reported 2.5 million customers impacted, particularly in Lisbon and Porto, according to Energias de Portugal (EDP). Train services, including Spain’s AVE high-speed rail, were halted, stranding 10,000 passengers, while Lisbon’s metro and Porto’s airports faced delays, per Reuters. Hospitals in Madrid and Lisbon switched to backup generators, but elective surgeries were postponed, and some clinics reported communication failures.
Spain’s cybersecurity agency, INCIBE, confirmed a ransomware attack targeted Red Eléctrica’s control systems, though no group has claimed responsibility. Portugal’s grid operator, REN, attributed the initial failure to a “cascading fault” in a 400kV line, exacerbated by unusual weather conditions, including high winds, per BBC. The European Network of Transmission System Operators is assisting both nations to prevent future incidents, with preliminary findings due by May 5. The outage cost businesses an estimated €500 million, with Spain’s tourism sector, hosting 85 million visitors annually, facing significant losses during peak season.
Both governments have launched emergency measures, including subsidies for affected businesses and a review of grid resilience. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez vowed to strengthen cybersecurity, while Portugal’s Prime Minister Luís Montenegro allocated €100 million for infrastructure upgrades. The incident has raised concerns about Europe’s energy security, especially after recent Russian cyberattacks on Baltic grids. As investigations continue, Spain and Portugal are prioritizing grid modernization to safeguard against future disruptions in an increasingly digital economy.