A significant, inexplicable power outage that knocked out traffic lights, created congestion on the roads and in airports, and led both Spain and Portugal to declare a state of emergency has left both nations reeling.
Shortly after noon, Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN), Portugal’s grid operator, reported that power was cut off throughout the Iberian Peninsula and in certain areas of France. Pedro Sanchez, the prime minister of Spain, stated hours later that investigators were still unsure of the reason of the blackout. Lighting and electricity outlets were cut off during the outage, and subway systems abruptly stopped working. When the lights in Madrid went out, traffic jammed the roadways.
Although the reason behind the blackout remained unknown, its effects were profound: transit hubs were closed, and administrations in the two nations, which have a combined population of almost 60 million hurriedly called emergency meetings to coordinate a response.
Spain’s Interior Ministry proclaimed a state of emergency for the Andalusian, Extremaduran, Murcian, La Rioja, and Madrid regions. Prime Minister Luis Montenegro of Portugal announced an energy crisis during a late-night cabinet meeting, and the nation’s grid operator warned that restoring electricity would be a “complex operation.
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