A widespread power outage struck Spain and Portugal on Monday, April 28, 2025, causing major disruptions to transportation, communications, and daily life across the Iberian Peninsula [1][2][3]. The blackout, which began around 12:30 PM local time, affected millions of people in major cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, and Seville [4][5].

Spain's electricity grid operator, Red Electrica, confirmed the outages and stated they were working with energy companies to restore power. 'The causes are being analyzed and all resources are being dedicated to solving it,' the company said in a statement [6].

The outage paralyzed public transportation systems, with trains halted and metro stations evacuated in Madrid and Barcelona [7][8]. Air travel was also impacted, with Madrid's Barajas International Airport and other airports in the region experiencing disruptions [9].

Traffic chaos ensued in major cities as traffic lights failed, and communication networks were severely affected, with widespread reports of internet and mobile phone service outages [10][11]. The power cut also impacted the Madrid Open tennis tournament, forcing the suspension of matches [12].

Eduardo Prieto, head of operations at Red Electrica, called the event 'exceptional and extraordinary' and estimated that restoring power could take between six and ten hours [13]. The company declined to speculate on the causes of the blackout at this stage.

The outage briefly affected parts of southern France, particularly in the Basque region, according to French grid operator RTE [14]. Some reports suggested that the blackout may have extended as far as Belgium, though this has not been officially confirmed [15].

Both Spanish and Portuguese governments convened emergency meetings to address the crisis [16]. Spain's National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE) is investigating whether the blackout could have been the result of a cyberattack, though no official cause has been determined [17].

As of 2:30 PM local time, Red Electrica reported that it had begun to restore power in the north and south of the Iberian Peninsula, which it described as 'key to progressively meet the electricity supply' [18].

The incident marks one of the most significant power outages in recent Spanish and Portuguese history, highlighting the vulnerability of modern urban infrastructure to large-scale electrical failures [19].