Madrid Open Resumes After Historic Power Outage in Spain, Portugal

A massive blackout struck Spain and Portugal on Monday, disrupting transportation, halting port and customs operations, and suspending major events like the Madrid Open tennis tournament. The outage, which caused a dramatic drop in Spain’s power demand within seconds, halted metro and train services, grounded flights, and affected millions across the Iberian Peninsula. Both Spanish and Portuguese grid operators confirmed that power was restored to over 99% of affected areas by Tuesday morning, allowing ports and events such as the Madrid Open to resume normal operations. Spanish authorities have ruled out a cyberattack but are investigating other causes, including the possibility of a terrorist act, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez emphasizing the need for a thorough investigation. The initial technical analysis suggests that incidents at solar plants in southwestern Spain triggered grid instability and the loss of interconnection with France. While most services have been restored, authorities are focused on preventing a recurrence of such an unprecedented outage.