A wide range of power outages were reported in parts of Spain, Portugal and France on Monday, affecting critical infrastructure such as airports and causing transportation disruptions.
“The interruption was due to problems with the European power grid,” E-Redes, a national energy supplier in Portugal, said in a statement. In addition to Portugal, it said: “The power outages have also affected areas in Spain and France due to the very high voltage lines.”
E-Redes said disruptions in Spain, Catalonia, Andalusia, Aragon, Navarra, Basque, Castilla and Leon, Extremadura and Murcia are all prevalent in Spain.
“The Basque coast and Burgundy region have also experienced power cuts,” Portuguese energy supplier said in France.
The cause of the power outage is not yet known. But the impact of destruction was felt throughout the city and affected millions of people throughout the Iberian Peninsula.
“At 12:30 pm, the entire national grid was cut off,” Spanish National Railways Renfe wrote in an article on X, adding that the train had stopped operating at all stations.
In southeast Spain, local train services in Valencia say traffic throughout the network was destroyed. “The extent and duration of the power outage are unknown,” the service said in an article on X.
About an hour after the power outage, Spain's national power company Red Eléctricia said in an article on X that it restored electricity to the northern and southern peninsula.
In Murcia, a city in southeast Spain, crosswalk signs and traffic lights are very dark, prompting some cars to carefully cross the streets.
Some restaurants stopped serving food and churches closed. People gathered on the streets, looking at their phones to try to figure out what was going on.
Teresa Garcia, 92, sat in a wheelchair outside her home during lunch time. She said she was waiting for the power to return so that the elevator could take her back to the apartment.
The ATP tour said that in the Spanish capital, Madrid's open tennis matches were suspended.
Airline EasyJet told passengers, “Spanish airports are currently in continuous power outages, affecting multiple necessary systems and airport infrastructure.”
The airline said it anticipates delays and described the destruction as “extraordinary and outside our control.”
But despite the power running out, the midday sunlight in Mercia was illuminated. The indoor flamenco course continues as people practice in the lights that are practiced in the windows.
This is a developing story. Please check the update.
