Blackout in Europe: what caused the power outage

Europe is facing one of the biggest energy collapses in decades. On 28 April, at around 12:30 CET, millions of people in Spain, Portugal and south-western France lost power. The subways in Madrid and Lisbon were shut down, traffic lights, ATMs, mobile phones and the internet were down, and flights and rail services were delayed or cancelled.

According to Politico, the blackout paralysed hundreds of cities. In many regions, the power supply was completely cut off. Airports in Spain and Portugal were particularly affected. In particular, Madrid's Barajas airport was closed due to power outages, which caused significant difficulties for thousands of travellers.

Passengers had to wait for hours for the terminals to reopen without access to information boards, air conditioning and charging stations. Many flights were cancelled or rescheduled, and long queues formed at airports. Authorities urged citizens to follow updates through official channels and postpone their travels if possible.

Although hospitals in these countries are equipped with backup generators, staff were instructed to turn off computer equipment, reduce the use of electrical appliances to a minimum, and take additional measures to save energy.

Many medical facilities have restricted planned surgeries, suspended some diagnostic procedures and transferred patients with dependence on electrical appliances to priority power supply.

Medical services are operating in an emergency preparedness mode, and hospitals are coordinating their actions with civil protection authorities to respond quickly to possible emergencies.

BREAKING: Widespread Blackouts Plunge Spain and Portugal Into Darkness; Internet and Mobile Services Disrupted pic.twitter.com/SBuHJ5b2T3

— MAGAgeddon (@MAGAgeddon) April 28, 2025

Whole countries are going dark across Europe.

🇵🇹Portugal, Spain🇪🇸, Andorra🇦🇩, Germany🇩🇪, UK🇬🇧, Ireland🇮🇪, Poland🇵🇱, Czech Republic🇨🇿, Netherlands🇳🇱 — all in blackout.

No power. No internet. No public transport.

Anyone hearing anything? Any rumours? pic.twitter.com/bQmgvoeZ2b

— Sumit (@SumitHansd) April 28, 2025

Causes of the large-scale blackout

According to preliminary data, the accident could have been caused by a rare atmospheric phenomenon caused by sharp temperature fluctuations that caused instability in high-voltage power lines. The possibility of a cyber attack is also being considered, although there is no official confirmation yet.

The Spanish and Portuguese authorities are investigating the cause of the accident and working to restore power supply. Full restoration is expected to take several hours to a week, depending on the region.

In Spain, the authorities have asked people to minimise travel and call emergency services only in case of emergency.

In Portugal, drivers are being warned to be extra careful on the roads as traffic lights and street lighting are still out of order. TAP Air has asked travellers not to travel to the airport.

Although the exact number of affected customers has not been reported, the scale of the outage suggests tens of millions of people without power.

The cause of the blackout is not yet officially known. Spain's two largest electricity companies, Endesa and Iberdrola, are already investigating the incident. It has become a serious test for Europe's energy security and has shown the vulnerability of infrastructure to natural and technical challenges.

⚡ Massive #blackout in #Europe!
On April 28, Spain, Portugal and the south of France faced massive power outages.
The reason is grid overload, high dependence on unstable "green" energy and a lack of reserve capacity. pic.twitter.com/ZzPgUBO8Cj

— City Weather (@ukcityweather) April 28, 2025

Tips to help you during a power outage

Prepare a supply of drinking water, canned food, cereals, bars and other non-cooked food.

Be sure to have several flashlights and a supply of batteries at home. It is also useful to have power banks to charge mobile devices. Focus on battery-powered radios. A battery-powered or handheld radio will help you stay up to date with the news even in the complete absence of the Internet and mobile communication.

Check your first aid kit. Make sure you have basic medicines, as well as the drugs you take on a regular basis.

Try to keep your phone charged to the maximum. Use an energy-saving mode. Prepare warm clothes and blankets. If the blackout is accompanied by a cold snap, warm clothes will help you avoid hypothermia.

Determine a meeting place for the family. In the case of a long-term blackout, it is important to have a plan for where to gather with your family if mobile communication is lost.

Avoid using candles. Candles can cause fires. Instead, use safe light sources such as LED flashlights.

Pay with cash. Due to the lack of electricity, ATMs and terminals may not work. It is worth having a small cash reserve.

The large-scale blackout that paralysed Spain, Portugal, and parts of France was a disturbing reminder of the importance of emergency preparedness. In such circumstances, it is important to remain calm, act responsibly and support each other.

The authorities are already working to restore power supply, and energy companies are analysing the causes of the incident to prevent similar crises in the future.