A massive power outage was reported in several cities across Spain and Portugal on Monday. The blackout disrupted critical infrastructure, local media reported.
Among the cities affected were major industrial hubs like Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Seville and Porto.
Local media reported that services and train stations and airports were also severely impacted due to the outage.
Spanish radio stations said part of the Madrid underground was being evacuated. There were traffic jams at Madrid city centre as traffic lights stopped working, Cader Ser Radio station reported.
The government and grid operator Red Electrica are seeking to determine the reason for the outage, according to two statements. Backup plans have been put in place by utilities, the Spanish operator said on X.
“This is a wider European problem,” it added.
Spain’s Canary and Balearic Islands were unaffected, and the market is operating normally.
Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE said a major power outage hit several regions of the country at around 12.30 pm local time, leaving its newsroom, Spain’s parliament in Madrid and metro stations across the country in the dark.
People in neighborhood WhatsApp chats in Barcelona and 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.
