Solar Fault Triggers Historic Iberian Power Blackout

On April 28, 2025, Spain and Portugal suffered their worst blackout in history, with 60% of Spain's electricity supply lost within seconds, affecting around 60 million people and causing widespread disruptions to transportation, businesses, and events like the Madrid Open tennis tournament. Authorities ruled out cyberattacks, sabotage, meteorological phenomena, and solar flares, attributing the outage to a sudden fault and disconnection between solar generation plants in southwestern Spain. The blackout sparked misinformation online, leading officials to caution against spreading unverified claims. Power was fully restored within 24 hours, but the economic impact in Spain alone was estimated at up to €4.5 billion. The event highlighted the vulnerability of power grids heavily reliant on renewable energy without sufficient storage or infrastructure upgrades. Investigations are ongoing to prevent similar incidents in the future.