Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Electricity supply restored after crippling outage disrupted daily life for millions, with investigations into cause ongoing
Spain and Portugal have recovered their electricity supply following a massive blackout that struck on Monday afternoon and lasted up to 20 hours in some areas.
The outage, which affected millions of people, disrupted daily life, causing chaos on roads, in train stations, and in businesses.
Telephone, internet, and lights are now working again, with train services resuming, shops reopening, and workers returning to offices.
Maria Jesus Cobos, a 50-year-old lawyer, managed to drive home through Madrid overnight after the outage, which she described as showing that people can be 'very civilised' in difficult situations.
The Spanish Prime Minister has stated that all potential causes of the blackout are being analyzed, warning against speculation due to the risk of misinformation.
Eduardo Prieto, operations director of Spanish grid operator REE, explained that a major fluctuation in power flow accompanied by a large loss of production surpassed the reference disruption for which electric systems are designed and operated in the European Union, triggering a disconnection of the peninsular Spanish electric system from the rest of the European system.
This collapse affected both Spanish and Portuguese networks.
By Tuesday, 99.95% of energy demand and 100% of substations had been restored, according to the Prime Minister.
High-speed train lines have resumed operations, although some regional routes remain limited or suspended.
Schools have also reopened, with classes resuming at varying times depending on the region.
The blackout briefly affected areas of southwestern France before service was restored, and parts of Denmark's Arctic territory of Greenland experienced phone and internet outages possibly linked to the incidents on the Iberian Peninsula.
The outage, which affected millions of people, disrupted daily life, causing chaos on roads, in train stations, and in businesses.
Telephone, internet, and lights are now working again, with train services resuming, shops reopening, and workers returning to offices.
Maria Jesus Cobos, a 50-year-old lawyer, managed to drive home through Madrid overnight after the outage, which she described as showing that people can be 'very civilised' in difficult situations.
The Spanish Prime Minister has stated that all potential causes of the blackout are being analyzed, warning against speculation due to the risk of misinformation.
Eduardo Prieto, operations director of Spanish grid operator REE, explained that a major fluctuation in power flow accompanied by a large loss of production surpassed the reference disruption for which electric systems are designed and operated in the European Union, triggering a disconnection of the peninsular Spanish electric system from the rest of the European system.
This collapse affected both Spanish and Portuguese networks.
By Tuesday, 99.95% of energy demand and 100% of substations had been restored, according to the Prime Minister.
High-speed train lines have resumed operations, although some regional routes remain limited or suspended.
Schools have also reopened, with classes resuming at varying times depending on the region.
The blackout briefly affected areas of southwestern France before service was restored, and parts of Denmark's Arctic territory of Greenland experienced phone and internet outages possibly linked to the incidents on the Iberian Peninsula.
