Blackout hits Spain and Portugal, halting transport and services

On 28 April 2025, shortly after midday, electricity supply collapsed across most of Spain and Portugal. Within moments, millions of people lost power in homes, offices, shops and hospitals, and parts of southwestern France were also briefly affected.

The outage disrupted daily life on a very large scale. Trains stopped, traffic lights went out, metro systems in cities such as Madrid were halted, and mobile and internet connections became unreliable. Many people were stranded in lifts, stations or on the road, and emergency services and hospitals relied on backup generators.

Grid operators and governments worked to restore supply gradually, starting with interconnections and key infrastructure. Power returned in most areas during the evening and night, though some services took longer to recover. The blackout was among the worst in recent European history and prompted lasting debate about the resilience of the electricity grid, the role of renewable energy and how to prevent a repeat. Investigations into the causes were opened by national authorities and European bodies.