Blackout in Spain and Portugal: climatic anomalies, weakened networks, cyber threat …
Blackout of April 28: the tracks explored by the authorities. © Shutershock
Breaking: Massive – Really, Massive – Electricity Outage Hits Spain, Which Large part of the Country Suffering Blackouts (included Madrid and Barcelona).
Data from Spain’s National Grid Shows A Lost of> 10 GW of Demand, from ~ 26gw to ~ 12gw in a few seconds. Reason Unknonw. pic.twitter.com/kwvdxoolqj
– Javier Blas (@javierblas) April 28, 2025
What are the possible causes of European blackout of April 28, 2025?
Blackout affecting a hospital. © Miguel Riopa, Getty Images
Critical oscillations of the electrical network
According to Red Eléctricrica de España (REE), the manager of the Spanish network, the breakdown was triggered by a massive loss of production coupled with strong electric oscillations. These disturbances caused a brutal disconnection from the Spanish network of the rest of the European continent. Result: a rapid collapse of national electricity consumption, instantly depriving millions of power households.
The network has undergone a very large loss of electric generation, accompanied by high frequency oscillations, leading to disconnecting the Spanish network from the rest of Europe.
Exceptional atmospheric phenomenon
The Portuguese manager Ren, for his part, spoke of a rare meteorological cause: the “induced atmospheric vibration”. Under the effect of extreme temperature variations, the very high voltage lines would have oscillated abnormal, weakening the balance of the network and contributing to the cutting cascade.
A rare atmospheric phenomenon, known as induced atmospheric vibration, could have contributed to the imbalances observed on the electrical network.
Apagón Eléctrico Absoluto in El Metro de Avenida de America. De Prono se han apagado luce, Corriente Eléctrica, Cobertura de los móviles y ha saltado la Iluminación de Emergencia.
Todos Los Pasajeros Desalojados. Tetrico. @metro_madridpic.twitter.com/yuelx8uz2y
– Álvaro González ن (@varuky_) April 28, 2025
Fire, a hypothesis discarded
A time mentioned, the hypothesis of a fire on a high -voltage line between Perpignan and Narbonne was swept by RTE, the French manager. No incident of this type was reported in the area, ending this track.
Cyber attack, a latent threat
Finally, although the authorities have not noted any convincing sign, the possibility of a cyber attack is not completely excluded. The National Institute of Spanish Cybersecurity (INCIBE) remains mobilized to rule out or confirm this possibility.
No formal evidence of cyber attack has been identified at this stage, but all the tracks remain open.
If Europe has partially found the light, the recovery is still in progress: in Spain, around 87 % of the electrical supply was restored on the morning of April 29, while in Portugal, more than 6.2 million households out of 6.5 million had found the current. Investigations continue to determine the exact origin of this historic failure. We will update this article as the investigations progress.
