General Blackout in Spain: Important Information
As a massive power outage affects areas in both Spain and Portugal as well as France, power distributors for both nations announced Monday that the topline electricity supply has been restored to some portions of both countries.
Spain’s national power grid operator, Red Eléctrica, stated in a statement that it has “progressively restored” power to 45% of Spain’s power grid, meeting more than 20% of the Iberian Peninsula’s electrical demand.
The Basque Country, Catalonia, Andalusia, Aragon, Castile, Leon, Extremadura, and Murcia were among the regions affected by the blackout, according to a statement from Portugal’s national energy supplier, E-Redes, to The New York Times. Other areas affected included the Basque Coast and the area close to Burgundy, France, although power had mostly been restored in some of those areas.
Eduardo Prieto, Red Eléctrica’s head of operations, described the blackout as “exceptional and extraordinary,” and the company stated earlier Monday that efforts to restore power nationwide may take up to 10 hours.
Three matches were apparently in progress when the power went out, so the Madrid Open said in a statement that the event was canceled because of a “nationwide power-cut” that affected parts of Spain. The statement said the decision was “beyond the control of the organization and in order to guarantee general safety.”
A social media video of Coco Gauff’s post-match interview, which was posted soon after she upset Belinda Bencic to advance to the quarterfinals, seemed to capture the moment the power went out in the capital of Spain.
What Caused the Power Outages and Which Areas Were Affected?
Although E-Redes apparently concluded that the blackout was caused by “a problem in the European power grid,” evidence indicates that a voltage imbalance was most likely the source of the widespread power disruptions.
Portugal’s presidential minister António Leitão Amaro told Portuguese news outlet Lusa that the imbalance was caused by a “problem in Spain’s transportation network,” albeit the specifics of the problem are yet unknown.
According to Prieto of Red Eléctrica, the blackout was brought on by a “very strong oscillation in the electrical network,” which led the power grid in Spain to “disconnect from the European system” and the electrical network on the Iberian Peninsula to collapse.
Teresa Ribera, executive vice president of the European Commission, told Politico in a statement that there was “nothing” to suggest that a cyberattack or “sabotage” was to blame for the blackout.
According to a statement provided to SkyNews by the French grid operator Réseau de Transport d’Électricité (RTE), the nation saw temporary disruptions.
RTE spokesman Emilie Grandidier told CNN that a blackout in the southwest Basque Country of France lasted only a “couple of minutes and was restored very quickly.”
Some citizens of Andorra, which borders Spain, also noticed disruptions, according to Euronews.
Travel Disruptions and Event Cancellations Across the Region
Madrid, Lisbon, and Barcelona are just a few of the main cities on the Iberian Peninsula where both road traffic and public transportation have been affected.
On social media, Spain’s Railway Infrastructure and Traffic Department (Adif) declared that all firms’ rail services would be suspended “until further notice.” Additionally, customers with scheduled excursions were advised not to visit train terminals.
All departures have been suspended since 12:30 p.m. local time, according to Spanish train operator Renfe.
A number of underground stations were reportedly being evacuated, and the Madrid Metro also declared that its services would be suspended.
But according to Catalonia’s government, Barcelona’s El Prat Airport is “operating correctly with self-service.”
Due to limited operations, Portugal’s flag airline TAP Air posted a message on Facebook asking travelers to avoid going to the airport.
Social media videos of chaotic intersections caused by malfunctioning traffic signals also had an impact on road traffic in both countries.
Play at the Madrid Open was delayed early Monday after the competition said that it was experiencing a power outage and that it was “working to restore normality as soon as possible.”
According to the Associated Press, there were three games underway when the power went out.
On Monday, the Spanish Parliament in Madrid likewise closed.