Massive blackouts hit Europe: Portugal points to rare atmospheric phenomenon
Illustrative photo: Power outage hit several European countries (Getty Images)
Large-scale power outages in Spain, Portugal, and Andorra could have been caused by a rare atmospheric phenomenon, reports Sky News citing Portugal's power system operator REN.
The operator believes that the blackout in several European countries was caused by a malfunction in the Spanish power grid. The malfunction itself is related to a “rare atmospheric phenomenon”.
According to REN, “anomalous oscillations” in high-voltage lines were recorded in Spain due to extreme temperature fluctuations.
The operator called it “induced atmospheric variation”, atmospheric changes (temperature or pressure) affect the operation of electrical lines. In this case, it led to oscillations in very high-voltage wires, which disrupted their normal operation.
The company also clarified that, given the complexity of the problem, it could take up to a week to fully normalize the grid. Portuguese media reported that there would be no electricity for up to three days.
Blackout in Europe
On April 28, some European countries experienced a cut-off from electricity supply. Blackouts were reported in major cities in Spain, Portugal, Andorra, and part of France.
The exact cause of the outage has not been officially disclosed so far. Spain is already considering that a cyberattack might cause a blackout.
Read more about the matter in RBC-Ukraine's report.
