Spain and Portugal are tentatively starting to emerge from an historic regional blackout that cut power to millions across both countries. Monday afternoon’s outage was not just an incidental breakage. Spanish government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, after the initial shock, it spurred a remarkable response from Spain’s central government. For many residents, he said, power restoration remains priority number one. At the same time, he acknowledged that they’ve come a long way already in this initiative.
The blackout began at 12:33 PM when 15 gigawatts of energy suddenly vanished from the national grid. Like so many other cities, this unexpected decline had never been faced before, leaving leaders in a state of panic trying to react. By late Monday night, Sánchez was declaring victory, claiming a full half of the national electrical grid had been restored in under 10 hours. In one area, their successful recovery soared past 90%. Many others were still in the dark, power restoration levels staying below 15%.
The Minister of Transport, Pedro Sánchez, stressed the seriousness of the situation, “It’s going to be a long night. He later updated everyone that eight of Spain’s 17 autonomous communities had announced level 3 emergencies. The handling of this is now fully in the court of the central government.
Sánchez pressed for non-essential workers to remain home on Tuesday. This decision is intended to cut down on avoidable traffic and other inconveniences while recovery efforts are ongoing. He further underscored that wide interruptions of telecommunications services are provoked through a absence of supply of electricity to antennae.
The Prime Minister admitted that it would be too premature to know with certainty what caused the blackout at this point. “It is still too early to know what had caused the power outage,” he said, adding that “nothing is being ruled out as the cause of the power outage.”
Reflecting on the bloodshed from the worsening humanitarian crisis, Sánchez thanked her European neighbors for their efforts. He extended his appreciation to France and Morocco for sending supplemental electricity to cover some of the gap. As one part of the government’s strategy to restore power, they intend to use gas and hydroelectric power sources.
The reality throughout Spain is still said to be “very asymmetric,” Sánchez acknowledged, with some regions receiving their power restored much faster than others, as El País reports.
“Just how long it will take to get back to normal is something that Red Eléctrica still can’t say for sure,” – Pedro Sánchez
As recovery efforts stretch into Tuesday, the safety of emergency responders has been elevated too. Madrid City Council’s Mayor José Luis Martinez-Almeida stated, “It is essential that the emergency services can circulate,” highlighting the importance of ensuring public safety during these critical hours.
The Spanish government is still committed to making supply restoration progressive and prudent. Sánchez emphasized that this approach will be key to prevent further losses in the next hours and days.