Power outages sweeping across Spain and Portugal today (28 April) have disrupted transport networks, industries and telecommunications, raising questions about the resilience of the Iberian energy grid and its reliance on renewables.
Electricity transmission operators such as Spain’s Red Eléctrica de España (REE) and Portugal’s Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN) confirmed widespread blackouts beginning around 12:30pm local time, affecting major cities including Madrid, Lisbon and Barcelona, and briefly extending into southern France.
Metro systems, airports, mobile networks, and ATM services were among those brought to a standstill, while grid data showed Spanish system demand plummeting by nearly half within minutes.
The cause is so far uncertain but REN told reporters it had been triggered by a “rarefied atmospheric phenomena” in Spain caused by extreme temperature variations, which briefly caused a violent swing on a transmission line.
No specific equipment failure or cyberattack has been identified so far. In fact, top officials have downplayed any sabotage theory.
REE’s Eduardo Prieto said, “there is nothing that allows us to say that there is any kind of sabotage or cyber-attack.”
Read more: Europe blackout exposes grid and security concerns
European Commission Vice-President Teresa Ribera, the former Spanish energy minister, likewise affirmed, “At the moment there is nothing … to say that there is any kind of sabotage or cyber-attack.”
REN has said that, due to the complexity of the phenomenon and the need to rebalance electricity flows internationally, full normalisation of the network could take up to a week.
Earlier, the head of REE called the fault “absolutely exceptional” and said that restoring power could take between six and 10 hours.
Industrial gas production is likely to have been affected. Air separation units (ASUs), which rely on continuous electricity supply to produce oxygen, nitrogen and argon, are likely to have tripped or switched to emergency control modes.
Major operators such as Air Liquide, Linde, Air Products (through Carburos Metálicos) and Nippon Gases maintain ASU facilities across the region and would have initiated shutdown or backup procedures.
gasworld has reached out for comment to industrial gas companies that have facilities in the region and will update as and when replies come in.
While emergency liquid stocks typically bridge short interruptions, prolonged outages risk supply disruption to critical sectors including healthcare, metals, and manufacturing. No major damage has been reported, but the event highlights the vulnerability of Iberia’s semi-isolated grid, which remains only modestly interconnected with France despite a growing focus on renewables.
While gas networks were not directly implicated (gas-fired plants likely helped in holding load), the question of grid stability and diversification is now becoming more urgent. Further statements from EU and national leaders about increasing gas or backup power options may yet be forthcoming.
