"Major Power Outage Disrupts Iberian Peninsula":

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Major Power Outage Disrupts Iberian Peninsula

April 28, 2025 –
A major power outage swept across the Iberian Peninsula on Monday, plunging vast areas of Spain and Portugal into darkness and causing widespread disruption to transportation, communication systems, businesses, and daily life. The blackout, which also affected parts of southern France and the microstate of Andorra, began around 12:30 PM local time and lasted for several hours, with full restoration efforts still underway. 

Cause of the Outage

According to the preliminary findings by Spanish and European energy authorities, the cause of the outage was traced back to an exceptionally rare atmospheric event. Extreme and sudden temperature fluctuations over central Spain created unstable conditions in the high-voltage transmission network. These fluctuations caused oscillations and synchronization failures across power lines, resulting in an abrupt separation of the Iberian Peninsula's grid from the larger European network.

The Spanish electricity system operator (Red Eléctrica) and its Portuguese counterpart (REN) described the incident as "absolutely extraordinary," emphasizing that it was not caused by a cyberattack, sabotage, or technical fault in the infrastructure itself. Instead, it was a natural phenomenon – one that experts say is highly unusual and difficult to predict. 

Recovery Efforts

By late afternoon, authorities began restoring power incrementally across different regions. Areas like Catalonia, Aragon, Madrid, and Andalusia reported partial recovery within a few hours, but full normalization across Spain was expected to take between six and ten hours.

In Portugal, however, the recovery was slower. REN indicated that while critical sectors were prioritized, complete restoration of the national grid could take up to several days, depending on ongoing grid stability evaluations.

Broader Implications

Energy experts are closely studying the event, warning that while this was a "black swan" type of occurrence, it exposes vulnerabilities in Europe’s increasingly interconnected electricity grids. The incident highlights how extreme weather patterns, intensified by climate change, can pose new and unforeseen risks to essential infrastructure.

Governments across Europe are expected to review resilience protocols and emergency response strategies following this unprecedented incident.

For now, life across the Iberian Peninsula is gradually returning to normal, though the event has left a lasting impression on the millions affected.