Millions without power, transport disrupted: Scale and impact of Europe's blackouts
Photo: The blackout hit several European countries (Getty Images)
A large-scale blackout on April 25 affected several European countries. Millions of people were left without electricity, causing serious disruptions to transportation, communications, businesses, and critical infrastructure. The cause of the outages has not yet been officially confirmed.
More details about what is happening in European countries during the blackout are in the material on RBC-Ukraine.
Takeaways
- In which countries did the power go out?
- What are the consequences of the blackout?
- What could have caused the mass power outages?
- Will the blackout in Europe affect Ukraine?
Part of Europe was affected by a blackout
On the afternoon of April 28, 2025, power outages occurred on the Iberian Peninsula, paralyzing the lives of millions of people. Transportation and critical infrastructure stopped operating in many cities.
The blackout affected the following countries:
- Spain (especially major cities: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Tarragona, Castellón)
- Portugal (Lisbon and other cities)
- Andorra
- Partially France (especially southwestern regions)
Spain called the power outage the largest in modern history.
Data from the Spanish electricity operator showed that around noon local time, over 10 GW of electricity was cut off. Consumption suddenly dropped from 25 MW to 12.4 MW.
Consequences of the blackout
In Spain, the power outage led to a complete halt in railway traffic, affected air traffic, caused disruptions in public transport, and traffic lights went out in many areas.
The General Directorate of Traffic urged citizens via social media to avoid driving as much as possible.
The power outage also affected the operation of payment systems. Some supermarkets already announced they would accept only cash payments.
Photo: ATMs not working in Spain (Getty Images)
The blackout paralyzed the metro in Madrid and Barcelona, trains stopped, and passengers were evacuated through tunnels.
In Bilbao, people had to walk along railway tracks as the funicular stopped.
Gente bajando a pie del funicular de Artxanda en Bilbao#apagon pic.twitter.com/PthoY01CNq
— Javi Regalado (@djobi71) April 28, 2025
Madrid’s Barajas International Airport was left without electricity, and the flight information boards went dark. Moreover, huge queues of arriving passengers formed at the airport exits trying to catch taxis due to disruptions in Madrid's metro.
In Andalusia, classes were canceled in some schools for the afternoon.
In many cities, there were disruptions in mobile communications, internet, and Wi-Fi.
#ÚLTIMAHORA Apagón de luz en Madrid y en Cibeles no funcionan ni los semáforos pic.twitter.com/VYLKKpzPV2
— Libertad Digital (@libertaddigital) April 28, 2025
The Madrid Open tennis tournament was also stopped after the power outage. The scoreboard and cameras on the court stopped working, and fans had to leave the stadium in the dark.
Authorities urged citizens to stay calm, while critical infrastructure (hospitals, emergency services) was switched to generators. In 22-story residential complexes in Alicante, elevators were connected to generators.
In Portugal, the blackout also caused transport disruptions and water supply problems, as electric pumps failed.
There is a rush for drinking water in stores, and many supermarket shelves have been emptied.
Possible causes
The official cause of the blackout has not yet been revealed, the investigation is ongoing. An emergency meeting was convened by the Spanish government at 3:00 PM.
Currently, the main theory for the large-scale power outages is an accident in the high-voltage power grid in southwestern France due to a fire on Mount Alaric, which damaged a power transmission line.
Another theory is a general failure in the European power system blaming a voltage imbalance or problems with the integration of renewable energy sources.
A cyberattack is also not ruled out, but there is currently no confirmation. The National Cybersecurity Institute of Spain is investigating the possibility of a cyberattack as the cause of the incident.
When the power supply might be renewed
Energy system operators in Spain and Portugal have activated power restoration protocols and created crisis committees. The Spanish operator suggests that restoring the power supply could take up to 10 hours.
Drivers in Spain have been urged not to use their cars unless necessary. The Mayor of Madrid has asked residents to stay home.
Photo: people urged not to use transport (Getty Images)
Meanwhile, the French high-voltage grid operator’s team reported that they were mobilized to assist Spain.
They have already restored 700 MW of consumption in France, where there were disruptions, and stated they can increase their assistance to Spain to 950 MW as soon as the Pyrenean network can technically accept it. In the French Basque region, power has already been restored.
Will the blackout in Europe affect Ukraine
Power disruptions in European countries will not affect Ukraine.
According to RBC-Ukraine's sources in the energy market, the situation in the country remains stable, as Ukraine hardly imports electricity.
“We are currently almost not importing electricity – it can happen only at certain hours and in very small volumes. Mostly, we are exporting,” a source told the media.
Ukraine’s Minister of Energy, German Galushchenko, offered support to European countries in overcoming the energy crisis.
He stated that Ukraine "is ready to assist in restoring the stable operation of energy networks of partners and allies in Europe."
“We are ready to share the knowledge and experience, including those gained during the systematic russian attacks on the energy infrastructure. We are grateful to the EU countries for their support and we are always here to provide assistance," the minister wrote on X.
Sources: El Pais, SkyNews, Libertad Digital, post by German Galushchenko, La Vanguardia.
