Daily life was completely disrupted by a massive blackout throughout Spain. Suddenly, the entire country was left without power. The operation of lighting, traffic lights, elevators, and everything essential for day-to-day life came to a halt.
Additionally, the computer networks, whose service is essential nowadays, also stopped working. Only those strategic locations that have special electrical connections (in very limited numbers) have been able to cope with the crisis. However, the damage from the massive blackout has been so extensive that it has led to the shutdown of airports, trains, and metro networks, as in Madrid, for example.
In Portugal, a large part of its territory depends solely on solar power. A similar situation is experienced in the south of France. At the moment, authorities are only mentioning a failure without referring to sabotage or attacks.”
A widespread blackout impacts Spain, Portugal, and a portion of France
The week started with normal activity, like any other. However, at noon, local Spanish time, the country experienced a total power outage. The electrical supply abruptly ceased, dropping to zero.
Both Spain and Portugal were completely devoid of power. Difficulties soon became apparent. All cities found themselves without traffic lights, causing a real chaos in traffic. Airports were forced to halt operations. Something similar happened with train and metro services. Additionally, people on trains and between stations had to disembark to be evacuated, both on Renfe trains and in the metro tunnels of the main Spanish cities.
Massive blackout in the Iberian Peninsula
It quickly became evident that the massive blackout caught authorities and entities responsible for controlling the energy service in the entire region by surprise.
The electricity supply was immediately and completely interrupted with the massive blackout, leading to severe consequences of various kinds. From people forced to leave their homes due to lack of refrigeration and water to individuals trapped in elevators.
It is undeniable that operating urban life without electricity is practically unfeasible nowadays. The absence of the internet paralyzes all kinds of activities, from making online payments and checking bank balances (with the lingering fear of cyberattacks during this emergency situation) to the operation of critical facilities like an operating room.
Currently, electricity is essential for virtually everything, something we often take for granted without enough reflection. How can shopping be done in a supermarket if the cash registers don’t work?
It becomes impossible to purchase tickets for any mode of transportation or access shows in theaters, cinemas, or museums. All these activities, and many more, have been completely paralyzed. Daily work in offices, businesses, and in general, is hindered. And this situation affects the entirety of the Iberian Peninsula.
Portugal experiences the same consequences. In France, the southern region of the country faces the same problem. And so far, there is no explanation or clear hint about the origin of this situation.
A blackout due to system failure or a cyberattack?
The lack of an official explanation for the massive blackout of the power supply, without ruling out any option, opens the door to any theory. Especially the most feared one: that it is a planned cyberattack. The governments of Spain and Portugal are investigating the outages with various technical teams from several ministries, but citizens are unaware of what happened and, worse still, when normalcy will return. The National Institute of Cybersecurity (INCIBE) is also studying the situation in case it was a cyberattack, but there is not a single piece of data guiding citizens.
The blackouts in the peninsula have affected communications, airports, high-speed transportation networks of both Spain and Portugal. And as we mentioned earlier, daily life in its most basic aspects. Like having no light at home or running out of a charged cell phone. Moreover, many phone services are unusable due to the absence of a WIFI network and data circulation.
In Portugal, the situation is the same. The National Electricity Grid, the company that manages the distribution, confirmed that it is a massive blackout or a widespread failure throughout the country and is trying to ascertain the causes.
Only isolated locations have managed to maintain their operation. Among them, the Spanish Stock Exchange (BME), which confirmed it is operating normally and has not experienced disruptions in its stock operations at any time.
Today, mobile phones have become an essential element in people’s lives, both personally and professionally. Telecommunication companies based in Spain report providing service to 70% of their users through emergency equipment. However, they recommend using devices responsibly until this serious situation is clarified and begins to normalize.
