A massive nationwide power outage hit Spain and Portugal as it affected parts of France Monday, leaving millions without electricity and heavily disrupting transportation. Reports indicate issues with the European electric grid.
Extreme weather was to blame for mass power outages that cut electricity to Spain, Portugal, and part of France, network operators said.
In Portugal, according to the country’s grid operator REN, “extreme temperature variations” had produced a “rare atmospheric phenomenon” that caused the cuts.
What is believed to be Europe’s largest ever power cut grounded flights, halted trains, left whole cities without electricity or the internet, and left millions without vital services.
In Spain, the power networks were in a race against time on Monday afternoon to restore electricity before sunset, when solar generation is likely to cut off a third of the country’s power source.
The Telegraph reported that Spain’s energy operator, Red Eléctrica, estimated it could take six to ten hours to restore power in the country. REN in Portugal said it believes it could take up to a week for normal service to resume.
Red Eléctrica earlier said it believed the cuts were caused by a “very strong oscillation in the electrical network” that led Spain’s power system to “disconnect from the European system and the collapse of the Iberian electricity network at 12:38.”
Though there are concerns that a cyberattack may have been behind the blackouts, the European Union disregarded the claims.
Euronews reported that Madrid's Barajas International Airport and Lisbon's Humberto Delgado were closed after being left without power, and telecommunications have also been affected, with residents across the two countries saying they have no access to mobile networks.
Meanwhile, other airports have come to a standstill throughout the Iberian Peninsula, and flights from Brussels and other European cities to Spain and Portugal have been cancelled, leaving hundreds stranded, Euronews has learned.
Numerous passengers have also been left stranded in the metro systems of the Spanish and Portuguese capitals, with trains stuck in tunnels between stations, Euronews Portugal reports. The blackout has affected hospitals, too, including Madrid's La Paz and multiple medical facilities in Portugal, with some being forced to cancel surgeries.
In France, homes in some parts of the southwest of the country were hit by the outage, according to the French power grid operator RTE. However, power was quickly restored, RTE added.