BARCELONA, Spain — A blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday, stopping trains, cutting phone service and shutting down traffic lights and ATMs for millions of people across the Iberian Peninsula.
Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica declined to speculate on the cause and said restoring power fully could take six to 10 hours. Head of operations Eduardo Prieto told journalists it was unprecedented, calling the event “exceptional and extraordinary.”
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said a “strong oscillation” in the European grid was behind the outage but the cause was still being determined. He asked the public to refrain from speculation and urged people to call emergency services only if really necessary.
It was the second serious European power outage in less than six weeks after a March 20 fire shut down Heathrow Airport in the U.K., and it came as authorities across Europe gird against sabotage backed by Russia.
The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Center in a statement said there was no sign the outage was due to a cyber attack. Teresa Ribera, European Commission executive vice president in charge of promoting clean energy, indicated the same to journalists in Brussels and called the power outage “one of the most serious episodes recorded in Europe in recent times.”
The outage began at midday. Offices closed and traffic was snarled in Madrid and Lisbon, while some civilians in Barcelona directed traffic. Train services in both countries stopped. It wouldn’t be possible to restart trains later Monday even if the power returned, Spain’s Transportation Minister Oscar Puente posted on social media.
The subway systems shut down. “I don’t know how I am going to get home,” said Barcelona resident Ivette Corona as she watched a large group people fail to get on a bus that briefly stopped to squeeze in a couple of passengers.
Hospitals and other emergency services switched to generators. Gas stations stopped working.
It was not possible to make calls on some mobile phone networks, though some apps were working. People searched for battery-powered radios.
It is rare to have such a widespread outage across the Iberian Peninsula, with a combined population of about 60 million people. Spain’s Canary Islands, Balearic Islands and the territories of Ceuta and Melilla, located across the Mediterranean in Africa, were not affected.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said he had spoken several times to Sánchez and expected power to be restored by the end of the day.
Portugal’s government said the outage appeared to stem from problems outside the country, an official told national news agency Lusa.
A graph on Spain’s electricity network website showing demand across the country indicated a steep drop around 12:15 p.m. from 27,500 megawatts to near 15,000 megawatts.
Spanish airports were operating on backup electrical systems and some flights were delayed, according to Aena, which runs 56 airports in Spain including Madrid and Barcelona.
In Lisbon, terminals closed and tourists sat outside waiting for news about flights.
The Spanish Parliament in Madrid closed. Play at the Madrid Open tennis tournament was suspended.
Some took advantage of the lack of connectivity to enjoy the sunshine on restaurant terraces, parks and beaches. Barcelona’s streets filled with throngs of people milling in front of darkened stores and exchanging information.
Portugal’s National Authority for Emergencies and Civil Protection said backup power systems were operating.
In Portugal, a country of some 10.6 million people, police placed more officers on duty to cope with increased requests for help, including from people trapped in elevators.
