Spain and Portugal Blame Each Other for Widespread Blackout

Following a significant power outage that struck the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal has pointed fingers at Spain as the potential source of the blackout. This incident, one of the most serious blackouts in recent European history, led to the grounding of flights, halted public transport, disrupted mobile communications, and rendered ATMs unusable. Speculating on the cause, Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro stated that it likely originated from Spain, with Portugal's national grid operator, REN, citing a "fault" in Spain's electricity infrastructure.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez emphasized the urgency of restoring the electrical system and understanding the causes of the blackout to prevent future occurrences. By early Tuesday, over 99% of energy demand in Spain had been reestablished, according to the country's electrical operator, Red Eléctrica. REN confirmed that power had been restored to all 6.4 million customers and all 89 substations were back online. However, authorities in Spain have yet to fully explain the reasons behind the blackout.

Eduardo Prieto, who oversees system operations for Spain's electricity operator, indicated that two significant disconnection events preceded the outage, necessitating further investigation into these occurrences. Spain’s meteorological agency, AEMET, found no unusual weather phenomena contributing to the incident, and Portugal's National Cybersecurity Centre ruled out any cyberattack theories. Furthermore, European leaders, including the European Commission's executive vice president Teresa Ribera, have dismissed any notions of sabotage, even as Ribera noted the seriousness of the event.

Amid the disruption, emergency services in Spain managed to assist approximately 35,000 passengers stranded in stations and train services. Various train stations, notably in Madrid and Barcelona, witnessed large crowds of travelers waiting in hopes of rebooking their journeys. Additionally, airports in both countries were affected, with multiple flights cancelled heading to the UK, and numerous others delayed, leaving many travelers stranded.