Major foreign news outlets reported that a large-scale power outage occurred in Spain and Portugal, paralyzing city infrastructure.
According to Bloomberg, Reuters, and others, a power outage occurred in Spain and Portugal on the 28th (local time). Electricity supply was cut off in most areas, including the capital Madrid in Spain, and in some areas including the capital Lisbon in Portugal. Some areas in southern France near the Spanish border also suffered damage.
Traffic was paralyzed in areas affected by the power outage in Spain as traffic lights were not functioning. In Madrid, police were heavily deployed around some important buildings, and traffic had to be controlled using hand signals. Situations also arose where people became trapped as the subway and elevators suddenly stopped operating.
High-speed train services were suspended, leading citizens to evacuate onto the tracks, while the airport operated on backup power systems. Some flights were delayed, causing inconvenience for passengers. In some mobile networks, phone service was disrupted. The Spanish energy company Moeb has temporarily suspended operations at its refining plant, and the Madrid Open tennis tournament was also halted during matches.
In response, Spain's Ministry of the Interior declared a national emergency due to the power outage. José Luis Martínez-Almeida, the mayor of Madrid, urged citizens in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter) to minimize movement and stay in their current locations if possible.
In Portugal, where areas around Lisbon and some northern and southern regions were affected by the power outage, emergency services, including hospitals, are operating on backup generators. Some gas stations have ceased operations, and ATMs and electronic payment systems have also been affected.
Citizens also had to evacuate from the Lisbon subway, and terminals at the airport were closed, causing tourists to wait outside for flights.
The governments of Spain and Portugal have convened emergency meetings to assess and respond to the situation. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated in a statement that "we still do not have definitive information on the cause of the power outage" and noted, "At this stage, no hypothesis is being ruled out."
A Portuguese government official stated that the power outage "appears to be related to distribution network issues and is presumed to have originated in Spain" and added, "We are currently verifying the cause."
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), about 50% of Spain's power supply has been restored, and it is currently being supplemented by electricity from France and Morocco. However, it is expected to take more time before power supply is fully restored nationwide.
Portugal also began resuming power supply in parts of the capital Lisbon and the second city Porto late that night, and it is expected that the halted power grid will be restored by the 29th, according to Spain's EFE news agency.