European power grid problem caused Iberian outage, says Spanish Prime Minister

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said that a problem in the European grid caused the huge power outage that struck Spain, Portugal and parts of France.

Mr Sanchez described the problem in the European grid as a “strong oscillation” and added that the cause is still being determined.

The Spanish leader asked the public to refrain from speculation and said no theory about the cause of the outage had been discarded.

Mr Sanchez thanked the governments of France and Morocco where energy was being pulled from to restore power to north and southern Spain.

Subway and railway trains have been halted, phone service has been unavailable and traffic lights and cash machines have not been working for many of the 50 million people who live across the peninsula.

Spanish power distributor Red Electrica said that restoring power fully to the country and neighbouring Portugal could take six to 10 hours. By mid-afternoon, voltage was progressively being restored in the north, south and west of the peninsula, the company said.

The company declined to speculate on the causes of the huge blackout. The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Centre issued a statement saying there was no sign the outage was due to a cyberattack.

Eduardo Prieto, head of operations at Red Electrica, told journalists it was unprecedented, calling the event “exceptional and extraordinary”.

The outage hit across Spain and Portugal, including their capitals, Madrid and Lisbon. Offices closed and traffic was gridlocked as traffic lights stopped working. It was not possible to make calls on some mobile phone networks, though some apps were working.

In Barcelona, residents walked into stores searching for battery-powered radios and civilians directed traffic at junctions along the Gran Via avenue that cuts through the city.

The countries have a combined population of more than 50 million people. It was not immediately clear how many were affected. It is rare to have such a widespread outage across the Iberian peninsula.

Mr Sanchez convened an extraordinary meeting of Spain’s National Security Council and visited Red Electrica to follow efforts at restoring grid operations. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said he has spoken several times to Mr Sanchez and expected power to be restored by the end of the day

The Portuguese cabinet convened an emergency meeting at the prime minister’s residence.

Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE said a major power outage hit several regions of the country just after midday local time, leaving its newsroom, Spain’s parliament in Madrid and subway stations across the country in the dark.

A graph on Spain’s electricity network website showing demand across the country indicated a steep drop at around 12.15pm from 27,500MW to near 15,000MW.

Spanish airports were operating on backup electrical systems and some flights were delayed, according to Aena, the company that runs 56 airports in Spain including Madrid and Barcelona.

In Lisbon, terminals closed and throngs of tourists sat outside in the sun and the shade waiting for news about their flights.

“We haven’t seen any plane arriving or departing in the 50 minutes we’ve been waiting here,” Dutch tourist Marc Brandsma told The Associated Press.

Train services in both countries ground to a halt. Video aired on Spanish television showed people evacuating metro stations in Madrid and empty stations with trains stopped in Barcelona.

The Spanish Parliament in Madrid closed and play at the Madrid Open tennis tournament was suspended. Three matches were under way when power went down.

Spain’s traffic department asked citizens to avoid using their cars as much as possible because of the power outage, which has affected traffic lights and electrical road signage.

Barcelona’s streets filled with throngs of people milling about in front of darkened shops and offices and exchanging information on what had happened.

Immediate concerns were which phone companies still had some, at least, spotty coverage, or where internet access might be found. Another concern was how to get home with the subway shut and public buses packed. Some took advantage of the lack of connectivity and transport to enjoy the sunshine on restaurant terraces.

In Terrassa, an industrial town 30 miles from Barcelona, stores selling generators were out of stock after people lined up to buy them.

In Portugal, a country of some 10.6 million people, the outage hit Lisbon and surrounding areas, as well as northern and southern parts. Portuguese police placed more officers on duty to direct traffic and cope with increased requests for help, including from people trapped in lifts.

Hospitals and other emergency services in both Spain and Portugal switched to generators. Petrol stations stopped working.

Portugal’s National Authority for Emergencies and Civil Protection said backup power systems were operating.

Several Lisbon subway coaches were evacuated, reports said. Also in Portugal, courts stopped work and cash machines and electronic payment systems were affected.