Large parts of Spain and Portugal – including Madrid and Lisbon – have been hit by a power outage.
Spanish power grid operator Red Electrica says it could take up to 10 hours to restore power – as airports and public transport services have been affected in both countries.
The Spanish government has convened a crisis meeting at the offices of Red Electrica due to the outage, according to the El Pais newspaper in the country.
Portugal’s grid operator Ren claimed the outage that’s affected Portugal was caused by a fault in the Spanish electricity grid, related to a “rare atmospheric phenomenon”.
REN says that, due to extreme temperature variations in Spain, there were “anomalous oscillations” in very high-voltage lines.
It also says that given the complexity of the issue, it could take up to a week for the network to fully normalise again.
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It comes as France briefly lost power following the outages in Spain and Portugal, French grid operator RTE said.
Parts of Madrid underground have been evacuated and traffic lights in the city are not working, according to local media.
Play has been suspended at the Madrid Open tennis tournament due to the outage – with Britain’s Jacob Fearnley forced off court in a critical moment during his third-round tie with Grigor Dimitrov.
The loss of power affected scoreboards and the camera above the court.
A chef in Madrid works in a dark kitchen with the aid of his phone’s flashlight. Pic: Reuters
Fans are seen after Madrid Open matches were suspended due to a power outage. Pic: Reuters
Aena, which runs international airports across Spain, said “some incidents are occurring” at the airports due to the outage.
The company added in a statement: “Contingency generators are active. Please check with your airline, as there may be disruptions to access and ground transportation.”
Maddie Sephton, who is from west London, was on the Madrid Metro when the power outage occurred.
“We got on the train and everything was fine,” she told Sky News. “But then everything went dark.”
She was stuck on the train for 20 minutes until a staff member opened the doors manually.
Mrs Sephton says she was on her way to the airport at the time – and had to exit the station by walking up 15 flights of stairs with her luggage.
“No lifts are operating – making it difficult for elderly people with limited mobility,” she added.
Above ground, she said that “everyone is just standing around and waiting”.
Bars are unable to take card payments, cash machines are down, and traffic lights aren’t working either.
“I currently don’t have any internet service and just €15 in my wallet – I can’t withdraw any money from the ATM,” she added.
“A couple have offered to let us get a ride in their taxi to the airport. Their flight is at 4.30pm so they’re pretty relaxed – but my flight back to London is at 3pm and I’m nervous.”
A metro worker passes underneath barricade tape to enter Legazpi Metro station after the outage. Pic: Reuters
A view shows a transmission tower during a power outage near Barcelona in Spain. Pic: Reuters
Mrs Sephton said: “People are just walking but have nowhere to go, and nothing to do.”
Madrid’s mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida has called on all residents to restrict their movements where they can.
“I ask all residents of Madrid to keep their movements to an absolute minimum and, if at all possible, to remain where they are. We want to keep all roads clear,” he said.
He also urged residents to only call emergency services if it is “truly urgent” and said they should go to police and fire stations in person if calls go unanswered.
Meanwhile, thousands of passengers have had to be evacuated after the blackout left the metro service in Barcelona without power, according to Spanish news site El Mundo.
The blackout is also reported to have forced the closure of the city’s tram system and rendered some traffic lights there inoperable.
It comes as Metrovalencia, the urban rail system, encompassing both metro and tram services in Valencia, said traffic in the city is “disrupted” due to a “general power outage in the city”.
In a post on X, Metrovalencia added: “The extent and duration of the outage are unknown.”
Traffic lights have stopped working following a power outage in downtown Lisbon, Portugal. Pic: AP
People try to board a crowded bus after the subway stopped running following a power outage in Lisbon, Portugal. Pic: AP
The outage also hit the Portuguese capital Lisbon and surrounding areas, as well as northern and southern parts of the country.
Portugal’s government said the incident appeared to stem from problems outside the country, an official told national news agency Lusa.
“It looks like it was a problem with the distribution network, apparently in Spain. It’s still being ascertained,” Cabinet Minister Leitão Amaro was quoted as saying.
There were several reports power had been lost at Lisbon airport but that it appears to have come back.
“The ongoing power outage shows just how fragile large proportions of critical national infrastructure are,” said Tim Grieveson, chief security officer at ThingsRecon.
“The ongoing disruptions only go to highlight the importance of understanding your network and the wider supply chain implications, and why businesses need to regularly conduct cyber resilience testing to maintain preparedness.”
Sky News has contacted the airport for comment.
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