Widespread Power Outages Disrupt Life in Spain and Portugal
On Monday, life came to a standstill across Spain and Portugal as widespread power outages left millions without electricity. Traffic lights failed at busy intersections, trains halted operations, and long queues formed at ATMs and grocery stores, with credit card systems down. The outages began around 11:30 a.m. in Lisbon and 12:30 p.m. in Madrid. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed that investigations are ongoing to identify the cause, which Portugal’s national energy supplier, E-Redes, linked to an "issue in the European electricity grid." Officials dismissed concerns of a cyberattack or atmospheric phenomena as potential culprits.
The outages severely impacted hospitals, banks, and travel services. Many hospitals in Spain resorted to generator power, while schools and banks in Portugal were forced to close. Train services across Spain, including subways in major cities like Valencia and Madrid, were halted, disrupting the Madrid Open tennis tournament. Grocery stores saw a rush of customers as clerks recorded cash transactions manually.
Despite the chaos, many remained calm. Diana Alfia, a hostel worker in Lisbon, noted that some tourists chose the beach as a distraction, with others walking hours from the airport due to disabled transport services.
As power returned to certain parts of Spain, including Catalonia and Andalusia, officials worked to gradually restore electricity in Portugal. Temperatures soaring between 60 and 87 degrees Fahrenheit raised questions about whether the heat contributed to the outages. Although the situation was reminiscent of past mass blackouts in Europe, authorities reassured the public that efforts were underway to stabilize the grid. As residents awaited updates, the uncertainty lingered about when normalcy would fully return.
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