Spanish authorities classify investigation into major power outage, media reports
Illustrative photo: In Spain, a court classified the investigation into a large-scale blackout (Getty Images)
The Spanish National Court has announced the launch of an official investigation into the large-scale power outage that occurred last Monday, El Pais and El Confidencial report.
The incident is being investigated by judge José Luis Calama. According to the media, he declared the case "secret" at the request of the prosecutor’s office.
The court stated that the investigation aims to determine whether the energy crisis could have been the result of cyber sabotage against Spain's critical infrastructure. The judge noted that the causes of the outage remain unknown at this time, but due to the potential threat to national security, it was decided to launch a separate investigation, considering the possibility of actions by "cyber terrorists."
At the same time, the Spanish energy company Red Eléctrica on Tuesday denied the possibility of a cyberattack, calling it unlikely.
Blackout in Europe
On Monday, April 28, several European countries, including Spain, France, and Portugal, experienced a large-scale blackout. Millions of people were left without electricity, causing serious disruptions in transport, communications, businesses, and critical infrastructure.
According to media reports, the restoration of power supply in Spain could take from 6 to 10 hours, and a state of emergency was declared in the country due to the situation.
The causes of the power outage remain unknown for now. The Portuguese power network operator REN initially suggested that the likely cause was wildfires in southwestern France, which damaged a high-voltage power line between Perpignan and Narbonne.
The possibility of a cyberattack was also considered, but later European Council President António Costa refuted this information.
According to media reports, yesterday Spain and Portugal restored their power systems after the blackout.
To get more details about the blackout in Europe, read our material on the topic.
