Spain, Portugal probe massive blackout as power restoration nears completion

Spain and Portugal experienced one of Europe’s most severe blackouts, which disrupted flights, metro systems, mobile communications, and ATMs across the Iberian Peninsula. Power was largely restored within a day, but the precise cause of the outage—during which Spain lost 60% of its national demand in just five seconds—remains unknown. While Portuguese and EU officials have largely ruled out a cyberattack, Spanish authorities have not dismissed any hypotheses and are conducting investigations, including criminal inquiries into possible sabotage. Rumors circulated about unusual atmospheric phenomena, but Spain’s meteorological agency reported no such events on the day of the blackout. Both countries’ leaders have pledged to thoroughly investigate the incident and implement measures to prevent a recurrence. The blackout has also been linked to several deaths caused by secondary incidents such as fires and generator malfunctions.