Widespread Power Blackout Hits Spain, Portugal, and Parts of France

A massive power outage has struck Spain, Portugal, and parts of southwestern France, causing significant disruptions to public transport, traffic chaos, delayed flights, and access to cash from ATMs. Initial investigations into the outage on Monday revealed no indications of a cyberattack, as confirmed by Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro and the Portuguese National Cybersecurity Centre. In a televised address, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez acknowledged that there was no conclusive information about the cause of the blackout, although connections with France and Morocco have partially restored supply. Both governments convened emergency cabinet meetings to address the situation, which has left many residents feeling helpless, with reports of people trapped in metro cars and traffic jams across major cities such as Madrid and Lisbon. The entity responsible for electricity transmission in Portugal, Redes Energeticas Nacionais (REN), attributed the outage to a rare atmospheric phenomenon due to extreme temperature variations in Spain's interior. REN indicated that fully restoring the power grid may take up to a week. Meanwhile, the European Commission is in contact with local authorities to understand the underlying causes while supporting the restoration effort. Reports indicate that the Madrid Open tennis tournament was also suspended due to the outage. Local news sources are urging residents to remain cautious as the situation continues to develop. While some areas begin to restore services, the overall impact on transportation and daily life is profound, raising concerns about the vulnerabilities of power infrastructure on a massive scale.