Authorities in Spain and Portugal were working on Tuesday to restore transport networks and infrastructure after a significant power outage disrupted both countries.
The disruption persisted in Madrid, Barcelona, and other cities following Monday’s blackout that halted transport and communications across Spain and Portugal.
Spain’s grid operator, Red Eléctrica, reported that by 7 am local time on Tuesday, nearly all energy demand had been restored after many spent the night without power. The operator later confirmed the electricity system was functioning normally nationwide.
The Portuguese government announced a full restoration of power and noted that Lisbon’s metro, which had been suspended, would resume operations on Tuesday.
King Felipe was set to lead a meeting of Spain’s security council later on Tuesday, as efforts continued to reestablish normalcy after a state of emergency was declared on Monday.
Thousands of travelers found themselves stranded overnight in railway stations, with passengers on a dozen trains also delayed late into the night.
Almost a full day after the outage began, the cause remained unidentified. Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, stated in a television address that all potential causes were under investigation.
Spain’s opposition leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, criticized Sánchez for inadequate communication during the crisis, describing the government as overwhelmed.
Feijóo expressed concerns over an “information blackout” and called the situation intolerable. He also criticized the government’s plan to phase out nuclear power by 2027, suggesting it could make the grid vulnerable to fluctuations in renewable power generation.
The country’s electricity system collapsed at 12:33 pm on Monday when 15GW of power supply, representing 60 per cent of national demand, was lost in just five seconds, Sánchez explained. Investigations into the cause were ongoing.
The severe imbalance between supply and demand led to a grid shutdown and disconnection from France and Morocco. Power restoration relied on reestablishing these cross-border links.
Spain’s national rail operator, Renfe, stated some services, including those between Madrid and Barcelona, would operate normally on Tuesday. Some suburban trains around Madrid resumed services, and most metro services restarted at 8 am. However, commuter trains around Barcelona remained suspended, and no trains were operational in Galicia.
Spain’s largest airport operator, Aena, warned of ongoing disruption, although flight cancellations at Madrid and Barcelona decreased significantly from Monday. More than 700 flights were cancelled on Monday, according to aviation data company Cirium.
Lisbon airport also faced disruptions on Tuesday morning, with average delays for arriving flights exceeding one hour, according to Flightradar24.
Spain, a leader in renewable electricity efforts, generates about 43 per cent of its power from wind and solar. However, the grid and storage capacity have not kept pace with renewable energy development, raising concerns about the power network’s ability to meet demand and handle supply volatility.
Additional reporting was contributed by Philip Georgiadis in London.
