On Monday, April 28, 2025, following a sudden power outage, Spain, Portugal, and southern France were restored to normal electricity supply. This outage severely affected the daily lives of millions of people and impacted one of the world’s most important power grids.
Due to this temporary blackout, traffic signal systems, financial services (such as ATMs), telephone networks, public transport services, and other major service networks were reported to have failed. Many families, left without power during the night, resorted to using candles and old lighting devices for illumination.
It was also reported that many individuals were trapped in trains and elevators. The exact cause of the outage is still unknown. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed this and stated that post-incident investigations are still ongoing.
The Portuguese grid operator REN initially suspected that the incident was caused by a “triggered atmospheric disturbance,” but later dismissed that theory.
