Spain has declared a state of emergency following a widespread power outage that struck the entire Iberian Peninsula on April 28, paralyzing public infrastructure and prompting the government to activate extraordinary security measures. The blackout, which occurred around midday, affected not only mainland Spain and Portugal but also briefly impacted parts of southern France.

Millions of people across the region were left without electricity, with reports of halted public transportation, grounded flights, disrupted communications, and water supply issues in urban areas. Although power was gradually restored in some parts of Spain and Portugal by the evening, the full extent of the outage’s damage remains unclear. Authorities are still investigating the cause, and no definitive explanation has yet been confirmed.

In a televised national address, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the implementation of a Level 3 National Emergency Plan – the highest tier under Spain’s emergency management framework. This level grants the central government sweeping powers, including the deployment of the military and assumption of direct control over regional operations if necessary.

Sanchez stated that the Ministry of the Interior had taken charge of coordinating the emergency response in Madrid, Andalusia, and Extremadura, in collaboration with regional authorities. “We are aware of the impact this [power outage] is having,” Sanchez said, offering reassurances that the government was prepared to extend emergency measures to any region that requested it.

Importantly, the prime minister emphasized that there was no evidence of a security threat or sabotage, urging the public to remain calm and avoid spreading misinformation. “There is no security problem,” Sanchez said. “But we have taken proactive measures to preserve public order.”

As part of those measures, the Interior Ministry confirmed that approximately 30,000 law enforcement officers from various national and regional forces had been deployed across the country. Their primary responsibilities include managing traffic disruptions, maintaining public order, and securing critical infrastructure as electricity is restored.

Under the current state of emergency, the Spanish government now has the legal authority to deploy military units to assist with logistical support, infrastructure protection, and public safety. While no formal deployment of the armed forces had been announced as of Monday night, sources within the Defense Ministry confirmed preparations were underway in case the situation deteriorates or extends into subsequent days.

General Manuel Vicente Roldán, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, stated, “Our forces are on standby to support civil authorities wherever needed. This includes logistics, transportation, medical aid, and, if required, crowd control.”

The blackout had immediate and severe consequences across Spain and Portugal. In Madrid, commuters were stranded in subway tunnels and on disabled buses. Traffic lights ceased functioning in major intersections, and emergency generators had to be activated at hospitals, airports, and government facilities.

Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport and Barcelona-El Prat saw numerous flight delays, with air traffic controllers forced to temporarily suspend operations in the early hours of the outage. Train services operated by Renfe and other regional rail providers were either suspended or severely delayed due to lack of signal systems.

In Lisbon and Porto, Portugal’s largest cities, similar scenes unfolded. Grid operator Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN) reported that it had managed to restore power to about 750,000 of its 6.5 million consumers by the evening. However, major disruptions persisted, especially in rural areas and southern districts.

The cause of the blackout remains under active investigation. Portuguese authorities initially suggested that a “rare atmospheric phenomenon” occurring over Spain – possibly triggered by “extreme temperature variations” – could be responsible for the outage. REN was the first to float this theory publicly, though it stopped short of offering concrete evidence.

Later on April 28, Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro clarified that while investigators were looking into the phenomenon, no conclusive findings had been reached. He stressed that the blackout “did not originate in Portugal” and that “everything indicates” the problem began in Spain.

Spain’s grid operator, Red Eléctrica de España (REE), has so far remained cautious in its assessments. In a brief press statement, REE acknowledged that service had been restored in some areas, including Catalonia, Aragon, the Basque Country, and parts of Andalusia. However, it declined to confirm any theories regarding the cause of the outage.

Experts are now examining the possibility of a geomagnetic event or sudden thermal inversion disrupting high-voltage transmission systems. “These kinds of events are extremely rare but not impossible,” said Dr. Laura Hernández, an atmospheric physicist at the University of Salamanca. “If the temperature gradient between air layers changes rapidly, it can induce stress on transmission lines — though such a wide-scale failure would require an extraordinary combination of factors.”

In Spain, opposition leaders criticized the government for what they called a lack of preparedness. Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the conservative People’s Party demanded a parliamentary inquiry into the blackout and questioned the resilience of Spain’s energy infrastructure. “This was not just a power failure – this was a national systems failure,” Feijóo said. “The public deserves answers and accountability.”

In contrast, many regional leaders expressed support for the national government’s swift response. Andalusian President Juanma Moreno welcomed the Interior Ministry’s intervention and praised coordination between regional emergency services and national police units.

Citizens, meanwhile, flooded social media with images of darkened cityscapes and impromptu gatherings outside apartment buildings, where residents sought fresh air during the unplanned outage. In some neighborhoods, communities organized temporary aid stations and food-sharing centers, showing resilience amid the confusion.

As Iberia slowly emerges from the blackout, analysts say the event could serve as a wake-up call regarding vulnerabilities in the continent’s energy grid. “We’ve spent a lot of time focusing on cybersecurity threats to critical infrastructure,” said energy consultant Marta Gutiérrez, “but this shows that physical and natural events can be just as destabilizing, if not more.”

For now, both Spain and Portugal remain on alert as the investigation continues. With full power restoration expected within the next 24 hours, governments on both sides of the border are working to understand how such a massive disruption could happen – and how to prevent it from happening again.

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