How Europe's recent power outages affected daily life and business?

A massive power outage on 28 April 2025 left Spain, Portugal, and small parts of France in darkness. Millions of people were disrupted, as the widespread power failure affected many services, from transport to businesses and even online gaming.

Electricity consumption across Spain decreased by 50% at around 12:30 pm on Monday, indicating the widespread scale of the exceptional blackout. Today, we'll explore the hot topic in depth, from cause and impact to lessons to learn for the future.

What caused the power outage?

Red Eléctrica's operations director, Eduardo Prieto, said the preliminary findings suggested: “There was no kind of interference in the control systems.” The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Centre also stated to the media that there was no sign that the outage was due to a cyberattack.

This was not an isolated incident, as the power grid in Europe has seen increased strain in recent years due to a higher demand for energy and an over-reliance on ageing infrastructure.

There were reports of a fire in Southern France between Perpignan and Eastern Narbonne, which damaged an extra-high-voltage powerline. This could have been a possible cause, but the Réseau de Transport d'Électricité (RTE) dismissed this, declaring that there were no fires in the area.

Could renewable energy be the culprit?

Pedro Sánchez said the 15gw of power, equivalent to 60% of the demand, was suddenly lost from the system. All it took was five seconds. There were two "disconnection events" barely seconds apart in southwest Spain, where solar power is also generated.

Many systems fail in electricity supply, and renewable energy and outages on this scale happen worldwide. The mismatch between supply and demand can change the frequency of the electricity grid, which is 50Hz in Europe and the UK.

Renewable power has its challenges when it comes to fossil fuel energy. Professor Keith Bell from the University of Strathclyde commented, "If a system is relying on solar and wind, they design a system to reflect that," suggesting that the additional supply of energy from renewables will not have been a surprise to the grid.

Faulty connection between Spain and France?

Red Eléctrica said the grid interconnection between Spain and France could cause the blackout. Two basic technologies are used to interconnect parts of a grid: a single transmission line that carries alternating currents and high-voltage direct current lines. Spain installed a high-voltage line seven years ago, which means it is well-tested.

The Iberian Peninsula is also known as the "electricity island" because it relies on just a few connections through the Pyrenees to France. Sánchez said the power was returned thanks to connections with France and Morocco, including gas and hydropower sources.

Rare atmospheric event

Portugal's grid operator, REN, released initial reports suggesting that a rare atmospheric event caused the blackout.

These oscillations caused synchronisation failures between the electrical systems, leading to multiple disturbances across the interconnected European network.

Immediate impact on daily life

The transport systems in Madrid, Lisbon, Porto, and Seville were temporarily shut down, leaving commuters stranded. Traffic lights stopped working, causing major traffic jams. Spain's traffic authority, DGT, then urged all citizens not to use their cars. Not only were road and railway transport affected, but the major airports also experienced delays and cancellations. Spanish airports were operating on backup electrical systems.

Three matches were being played at the Madrid Open when the power outage occurred, and the Spanish parliament in Madrid had to close play and suspend the tournament.

Households were also left in complete darkness with no internet or mobile coverage. Those who stayed in apartments had no lifts, electric car chargers, or air conditioning, and some homes had no access to drinking water due to affected water pumps.

The blackout affected hospitals, including Madrid's La Paz and medical facilities in Portugal, with some even forced to cancel surgeries. A source at a hospital in Setúbal disclosed, "The facility has a backup generator capable of operating for 8–12 hours in the hospital's critical departments. However, there is currently no water supply."

Parks and plazas, normally quiet in the evenings, were filled with laughter, conversation, and music. Without the hum of devices or the pull of social media, people danced in the moonlight, joined acoustic jam sessions, and connected with strangers, neighbours, or close ones.

Impact on businesses and the economy

The economic impact of the outage was far-reaching. Retail businesses faced closures, and telecommunications were disrupted. The most unexpected impact was on the gambling industry, as platforms, especially online casinos, rely on Internet access and were down for extended periods.

While the blackout did not last long, the longer-term economic impacts are still being calculated. The European Commission has called for an investigation. Many businesses are busy assessing the full extent of their losses, and the government is likely to allocate resources to ensure that such a large-scale power outage does not happen again.

Restoring the power

In Portugal, the electricity was gradually restored around 17:00 using the two systems with black start capabilities. The 138 MW Castelo do Bode hydropower dam and the 990 MW natural gas power station Tapada do Outeiro. At around 22:30, the power had been restored to half of the population, which increased to 80% around 00:00. The grid was fully restored by 29 April 2025.

Meanwhile, in Spain, airports were back in operation later that day with 20% reduced capacity. The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, stated that long and medium-distance train services would not resume until the next day. Aragón-Cataluña and Galicia-León were the first to reconnect to the main grid. The international power lines from Morocco and France also contributed.

By 07:00 on 29 April, electricity had been restored to 99% of energy demand, and full restoration was achieved by 11:00 that same day. Exports to France also resumed. Certain institutions, such as the Ministry of Defence and the Navy headquarters, still suffered power outages on 29 April despite the general restoration of the electricity supply.

What’s next?

In the wake of the outage, it is clear that Spain and Portugal must work together to prevent such a disaster from happening again. Energy security is now at the forefront of political discussions as various governments and businesses assess the vulnerabilities exposed by this outage.

Spain must issue a technical report explaining exactly what happened within three months, and European experts will conduct a larger independent audit within six months. Those investigations will be important in strengthening the EU's electricity grid in the future.

A senior Commission official said the report detailing a 2003 Swiss incident that caused a massive blackout in Italy shaped new EU protocols. Those measures helped EU countries avoid a major blackout between 2013 and now.

While the experts are working out what went down, the massive power outage has proven to be a wake-up call for European nations to reassess their energy infrastructure. For now, businesses are counting the cost, hoping this event marks a turning point for better energy management and investment in technology and innovation across the continent.