Spain and Portugal Recover from Record-Breaking Blackout

Spain and Portugal have restored power across their territories following the most severe blackout in their history, yet both governments have offered limited details about the cause—or how they plan to prevent a similar crisis in the future.

Cities began returning to normal Tuesday morning as traffic lights flickered back to life, public transportation slowly resumed operations, and schools reopened.

Still, millions faced delays during their morning commute, and countless residents were left stranded in elevators or cut off from phone contact with family and friends during the outage.

According to Spain’s national grid operator, Red Eléctrica de España (REE), the power failure caused a sudden and dramatic drop in electricity demand—equivalent to 60% of Spain’s total—within just five seconds around midday on Monday.

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While REE ruled out a cyberattack as the root cause, the Spanish High Court announced it would investigate whether a terrorist act targeting national energy infrastructure might be responsible.

“We must not jump to conclusions or risk making mistakes through haste,” Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in a press briefing. “We will find out exactly what happened in those five seconds.”

REE reported two incidents of power generation loss, most likely involving solar energy facilities in southwestern Spain. These triggered instability within the national grid and a subsequent breakdown in its cross-border electricity connection with France.

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Spain, a leading European producer of renewable energy, relies heavily on solar and wind power. The blackout has reignited debate over whether this clean energy transition—especially with limited battery storage infrastructure—leaves the country vulnerable to abrupt disruptions in supply.

Investment bank RBC estimated that the economic damage caused by the blackout could range between €2.25 billion and €4.5 billion.

The bank criticized the Spanish government for complacency regarding its energy infrastructure, warning that over-reliance on renewables without adequate backup systems is a growing risk.

As authorities investigate, the blackout serves as a stark reminder of the need for resilient energy systems—even in countries leading the push toward a greener future.