Else Beekman
Spain is slowly finding its feet again after a massive power outage plunged most of the mainland into darkness on Monday, 28 April. By early Tuesday, Red Eléctrica reported that power had returned to 99% of homes and businesses.
The massive blackout, which struck suddenly at 12.33 pm, paralysed transport systems and sparked confusion across 15 regions. Only the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla escaped the worst effects. In train stations and airports, thousands were left waiting without clear updates, while hospitals scrambled to switch to backup generators.
Still no clear explanation
At the height of the outage, around 60% of Spain’s energy demand vanished in an instant. The government has called the event “strange” and says it is keeping all options on the table.
So far, early investigations suggest there is no evidence of a cyberattack. Instead, a technical fault somewhere within the European electricity grid is considered a likely cause. Authorities are currently working closely with ENTSO-E, the European network operator, to determine the exact origins of the failure.
Chaos on roads and rails
Shops closed, courtrooms fell silent, cars were caught in heavy traffic, and commuters found themselves stuck as trains and metro systems ground to a halt. Airlines faced long delays, while mobile networks like Vodafone rushed to restore coverage, managing a 95% recovery by the following morning.
Paco, one of many stranded passengers, spent 13 hours on a motionless train. “We didn’t know what was happening,” he told reporters. “There was hardly any information.”
Leaders praise public calm
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez thanked the Spanish people for staying calm and acting responsibly throughout the chaos. Officials continue to calculate the financial damage, with early estimates suggesting losses of several million euros, particularly in transport, retail, and public services.
Although electricity is back, the Directorate General of Traffic has urged drivers to be extra cautious in the coming days.
How much has the blackout cost?
If the blackout had lasted a full day, Spain could have faced losses of around €4.5 billion — close to its daily GDP, according to El País. Fortunately, experts expect the actual figure to be much lower.
The self-employed workers’ association ATA estimates the real losses at around €1.3 billion, mainly hitting the hospitality and retail industries hardest.
Although factories like Seat, Ford, and Repsol experienced temporary shutdowns, other sectors such as finance and logistics escaped relatively unscathed. Many businesses are already working to make up for lost time.
Portugal also hit, but rebounds quickly
Portugal experienced similar issues on Monday but reported a full recovery overnight.
Now, Spain’s priority is to understand exactly what happened and how to prevent it from ever happening again.