Madrid: A large-scale power outage that swept across much of the Iberian Peninsula on Monday was triggered by a sudden and significant drop in electricity supply, which caused the interconnection between the Spanish and French power grids to trip, according to Spain’s national grid operator REE (Red Eléctrica de España).
The Spanish Energy Ministry reported that the power network lost approximately 15 gigawatts of electricity generation within just five seconds at around 10:33 GMT. However, officials did not disclose the underlying cause of the abrupt energy shortfall.
Speaking at a press conference, Eduardo Prieto, REE’s Head of System Operations, stated that the magnitude of the power loss exceeded what European grid systems are built to withstand. The event forced the Spanish and French grids to disconnect, leading to a collapse of the Spanish electricity system.
“As the result of this disconnection and the serious imbalance of band generation that is in our electrical system, the electrical system collapsed,” Prieto said.
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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez addressed the nation, noting that the precise cause of the power failure remained unclear and that all possible explanations were still under consideration.
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The blackout, which persisted for several hours, resulted in widespread disruptions throughout Spain and Portugal, affecting transportation, businesses, and daily activities. Power was gradually restored across most regions in both countries by Monday evening.
