Spain and Portugal are fast returning to normalcy as specialists investigate the source of the greatest power outage in Europe’s recent history, which plunged towns into darkness and detained tens of thousands of passengers aboard trains.
By Tuesday morning, all of Spain’s energy substations were operational, and 99.95% of the country’s power had been restored. Across the border in Portugal, a representative for the electrical operator REN said all substations were completely working and the national network was “perfectly stabilised.”
After a day of rumors and wild speculation, Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced late Monday night that experts were working to restore full power and determine the origin of the blackout.
“That’s something that has never happened before,” he said. “What prompted this sudden disappearance of the supply is something that the experts still haven’t been able to determine. But they will … All potential causes are being analysed and no hypothesis or possibility is being ruled out.”
Sánchez said the power cut originated at 12.33pm on Monday, when, for five seconds, 15 gigawatts of the energy that was being produced – equivalent to 60% of all the energy that was being used – suddenly disappeared.
The prime minister, who led another meeting of the national security council on Tuesday morning, expressed gratitude to the public for “once again demonstrating exemplary responsibility and civic spirit.”
On Tuesday morning, Spain’s national meteorological office, Aemet, seemed to dismiss the weather as a potential cause.
“On 28 April, there were no unusual meteorological or atmospheric phenomena observed, nor were there any sudden temperature variations recorded by our network of meteorological stations,” stated Aemet.
All of Spain’s airports were open on Tuesday morning, but the transport ministry recommended passengers to check with their airlines for any changes and to determine whether they could travel to the airport using public transportation.
Renfe, the state rail operator, reported that the country’s train network is gradually returning to normal. However, local train services in Murcia, Extremadura, and Andalucía remain suspended. Around 35,000 people were saved from more than 100 trains after the outage occurred on Monday.
150,000 people were evacuated to safety from Madrid’s metro system after trains came to a halt in stations and tunnels. By Tuesday morning, all but one line of the city’s metro service had been restored, with 80% of trains operating during rush hour.
At 11 a.m. local time (1000 BST), Madrid area president Isabel Díaz Ayuso announced that the metro system was fully operating. She also stated that all schools, hospitals, health centers, day centers, and care centers were open. Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible.
The Catalan regional administration reported that local train services were still hampered by the outage, but the underground and bus networks were operational.
Widespread outages are uncommon in Europe. In 2003, a malfunction with a hydroelectric power line between Italy and Switzerland prompted a 12-hour blackout, while in 2006, an overloaded power network in Germany caused power outages throughout the country as well as in France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
By 10 a.m., stores in Madrid had reopened, and many people were headed to ATMs to withdraw cash that they had been unable to access the day before.
Madrid Atocha, Spain’s biggest railway station, had transformed into an improvised camping overnight, with unhappy travelers sleeping on cardboard and clothing as they waited for news.
One sad couple departed the station in tears, while others remained glued to their phones, attempting to contact loved ones and find information among the stacks of baggage.
Ruben Coiran, 24, was heading home to Barcelona after spending 11 hours delayed in Atocha waiting for news.
“It’s difficult – dealing with the cold, hunger, and holding on. “We’re having a difficult time,” he told Agence France-Presse.
“There were elderly individuals and toddlers who hadn’t eaten for six to seven hours. They don’t have restrooms,” said Coran, who works in information technology. “It was more difficult for the elderly and for people with babies.”
