A power outage is affecting Spain, France, and Portugal this Monday. This supply interruption has not affected the Canary and Balearic Islands, nor the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla. This situation is causing problems throughout the country, with the fall of railway networks and traffic lights. In addition, it has also led to the loss of coverage in mobile devices and elevators stopping working.
Red Eléctrica de España is working to restore the service, although the origin of this lack of supply is still unknown. France, Spain, and Portugal have been without power for more than half an hour, which in cities like Madrid is causing traffic jams. Currently, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the Minister of Energy, Sara Aagesen, are moving to the crisis cabinet of Red Eléctrica Española to address the situation.
Regarding France, the area of Bayonne and Biarritz has been affected, and the French Government has offered Spain its help to provide energy.
The newspaper El País has reported that the National Institute of Cybersecurity (INCIBE) is also "studying the situation in case it is a cyberattack, although they do not have a conclusion at the moment." However, the Government of Portugal states that "it is a cyberattack."
The blackout occurred at 11:30 a.m. (Canary time) and had not been restored by 12:20 p.m. this Monday. In addition, telephone lines in much of Spain are down, which is hindering communications. Also, the lack of electricity has left many trapped in the subways of Barcelona, Lisbon, and Madrid.
For its part, the General Directorate of Traffic recommends that the population not drive unless it is strictly necessary.
According to Red Eléctrica, the electricity supply is beginning to recover in the north and south of the peninsula and will continue progressively. In addition, they state that "it is a process that involves the gradual energization of the transport network as the generation groups couple." They also report that it will take between 6 and 10 hours to fully restore the supply.
