LONDON — Millions of people in Spain, Portugal and parts of France lost power on Monday due to an unknown grid issue, the Spanish government confirmed to ABC News.
The Spanish government said it called an emergency crisis meeting to fix the situation as soon as possible.
Red Eléctrica, the corporation that operates the national electricity grid in Spain, said it is working on restoring power to mainland Spain and Portugal in an update posted on the company’s website.
An employee stands near fridges and freezers switched off in a supermarket in Burgos on April 28, 2025, during a massive power cut affecting the entire Iberian peninsula and the south of France.
Cesar Manso/AFP via Getty Images
Red Eléctrica announced electricity should be fully restored within six to 10 hours.
“Power has already been restored at substations in several areas in the north, south, and west of the peninsula, and consumers in these areas are beginning to be supplied,” the update from Red Eléctrica said.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said during a press conference Monday evening that authorities are working to determine the origins of the power outage.
“We are working on knowing the origins and the reason of this incident,” Sanchez said in Spanish. “We are using all of our resources to solve the issue.”
A woman uses her cell phone’s flashlight in the dark after the matches get suspended due to a power outage at the Madrid Open in Park Manzanares, Madrid, Spain, April 28, 2025
Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters
Electricity has been restored in 10 regions in Spain so far, Sanchez added.
Red Eléctrica is also working to provide power from generators, which is part of the procedure for restoring power supply, the update added.
Authorities, meanwhile, asked people to stay at home and to avoid circulating, while emergency generators were also being put in place.
A saleswoman at a sports store works with a light on her head in Burgos on April 28, 2025, during a massive power cut affecting the entire Iberian peninsula and the south of France.
Cesar Manso/AFP via Getty Images
“Plans to restore the electricity supply have been activated in collaboration with companies in the sector following the zero that occurred in the peninsular system,” Red Eléctrica wrote in a post to X. “The causes are being analyzed and all resources are being dedicated to solving it.”
Airports in the country were not closed, but they are seeing massive delays. Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon was seeing the most canceled and delayed flights of any airport in the world, according to FlightAware, with Barcelona-El Prat Airport and Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport not far behind.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.