Spain and Portugal hit by massive power outage, including in their capitals

A massive and unprecedented power outage Monday hit large parts of Spain as well as Portugal. Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica said that restoring power to the country could take up to 10 hours.

The outage hit both countries’ capitals and knocked out subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights and ATMs.

Red Eléctrica declined to speculate on the causes of the blackout. The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Center 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.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez convened an extraordinary meeting of Spain’s National Security Council and visited Red Eléctrica to follow efforts at restoring grid operations. The Portuguese Cabinet convened an emergency meeting at the prime minister’s residence.

The countries have a combined population of over 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.

Spain’s electricity network operator said it was recovering power in the north and south of the peninsula, which would help to progressively restore the electricity supply nationwide.

Portugal’s government said the outage appeared to stem from problems outside the country, an official told national news agency Lusa.

“It looks like it was a problem with the distribution network, apparently in Spain. It’s still being ascertained,” Cabinet Minister Leitão Amaro was quoted as saying.

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.

Play at the Madrid Open tennis tournament was suspended. Three matches were underway when power went down.

People in neighborhood WhatsApp chats in Barcelona and its outskirts cities and towns also reported the outage.

In Portugal, a country of some 10.6 million people, the outage hit the capital, Lisbon, and surrounding areas, as well as northern and southern parts of the country.

Portuguese distributor E-Redes said the outage was due to “a problem with the European electricity system,” according to Portuguese newspaper Expresso.

The company said it was compelled to cut power in specific areas to stabilize the network, according to Expresso.

E-Redes said parts of France also were affected.

It was not possible to make calls on mobile phone networks, though some apps were working.

Spanish radio stations reported that part of Madrid was being evacuated, according to the Reuters news agency.

Unconfirmed news reports also said the Lisbon subway stopped running. Traffic lights in the city center stopped working.