Spanish grid operator Red Electrica’s boss has said she is not considering resigning as the energy firm faces mounting pressure while officials hunt for the cause of the major power outage that hit Spain and Portugal on Monday.
Chairwoman Beatriz Corredor said it was incorrect to link the massive blackout that hit the countries to the high share of renewable energy in the country’s total generation.
“I am not contemplating resignation”, she told radio station Cadena SER.
The firm posted on social media in praise of their response to the blackout that hit Europe at 12.30pm earlier this week, which brought transport to a standstill, wiped out mobile network and Wi-Fi coverage and water access for some.
“In less than 24 hours, they have turned around an unprecedented situation thanks to their dedication and professionalism.We continue working with the same vocation of service.”
This comes as Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez met with grid operators asking for their co-operation in finding the cause, he said: “We must undertake the necessary improvements to guarantee the supply and future competitiveness of our system.”
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Key Points
- Power returns in Spain and Portugal but questions mount over cause of outage
- Madrid court to investigate whether cyberattack caused blackout
- Spanish PM calls for answers over cause of blackout
- Spanish authorities investigating seven deaths during power blackout
- Spanish power firm backtracks blame on renewable energy
WATCH: Sanchez says Spain will not allow blackout again and vows accountability for private companies
16:30
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Bryony Gooch
In pictures: Madrid Open recommences following blackout
16:01
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Bryony Gooch
Government sets deadline for energy companies to offer data to explain cause of blackout
15:50
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Bryony Gooch
Red Electrica boss Beatriz Corredor said that the Spanish government has given power companies a deadline of Wednesday afternoon to offer data to help explain what’s going on.
Red Electrica double down on success of overcoming blackout amid mounting pressure
15:18
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Bryony Gooch
Red Electrica president Beatriz Corredor has expressed her gratitude to the teams at the grid operator who worked “day and night” to overcome the blackout.
The company affirmed they were able to do it in “record time. Without a single mistake. Without rest.”
“In less than 24 hours, they have turned around an unprecedented situation thanks to their dedication and professionalism.We continue working with the same vocation of service.”
This follows mounting pressure from Spain’s opposition as the cause of the blackout remains unknown.
Ms Corredor previously said it was wrong to blame the outage on Spain's high share of renewable energy.
"These technologies are already stable and they have systems that allow them to operate as a conventional generation system without any safety issues," she said. She was not considering resigning, she added.
'Fundamental problem is grid's instability', says energy expert
14:56
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Bryony Gooch
Antonio Turiel, an energy expert at the state-owned Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), told Onda Vasca radio station on Tuesday that the fundamental problem was the grid's instability.
“A lot of renewable energy has been integrated without the responsive stabilisation systems that should have been in place,” he said, adding that vulnerabilities stemmed from “the unplanned and haphazard integration of a host of renewable systems”.
Vice-president affirms electrical system operating as normal
14:39
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Bryony Gooch
Spain’s third vice-president, minister for ecological transition and demographic challenge Sara Aaegesen, has said the electrical system is working under normal and stable conditions following the outage.
"The electrical system has been operating under normal and stable conditions since yesterday. It is important to highlight the great work of the operators and technical staff who have worked to ensure a replacement as quickly as possible.
As theories continue about how the power cut started, she added: “We have an obligation to always ensure that our reporting is rigorous and comprehensive. We will not pass on theories or speculation.”
Spanish opposition points finger to state-funded Red Electrica Espanol
14:20
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Bryony Gooch
A parliamentary spokesperson for the opposition conservative People’s Party has accused prime minister Pedro Sanchez of covering up for failings at Red Electrica Espanol as it remains unanswered why there was a major power outage across Spain and Portugal.
Miguel Tellado, the spokesperson, said in an interview on RTVE: “Since REE has ruled out the possibility of a cyberattack, we can only point to the malfunctioning of REE, which has state investment and therefore its leaders are appointed by the government.”
He called for an independent investigation to be conducted by Spain’s parliament rather than the government probe Sanchez has announced.
Portugal calls for EU to conduct independent audit of power outage.
14:03
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Bryony Gooch
Portuguese acting Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said on Tuesday his government had requested that the European Union's Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators perform an independent audit of the power outage that hit the Iberian Peninsula the day before.
“We want a full investigation of the outage's causes. We need quick, urgent answers,” Mr Montenegro told a news briefing.
Britain struck by unusual power activity hours before blackouts in Spain and Portugal
13:46
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Bryony Gooch
The UK was struck by unusual power activity hours before large swathes of Spain and Portugal were hit by blackouts, it has emerged.
Britain’s grid operator has confirmed it is investigating unexplained changes in electricity frequency seen early on Sunday morning and also in the evening. The system’s frequency must be kept within specific limits for the lights to remain on.
Tara Cobham reports:
In pictures: Wind turbines used to generate electricity in Burgos, northern Spain
13:31
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Bryony Gooch
Did Spain’s push for renewable energy have any impact on its mass power blackout?
13:16
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Bryony Gooch
The mass electrical blackout across Spain, Portugal and parts of France sparked hours of chaos before power returned – with the after-effects still being felt.
Both Spain and Portugal’s power grid operators have ruled out a cyber attack, but the cause of the outage is still under investigation.
The head of Spanish electricity operator Red Electrica, Eduardo Prieto, said two consecutive events, which took place at 12.32pm on Monday and then a second and a half later, pointed to a “generation disconnection” that had cut off the supply across the peninsula. While the system weathered the first event, but not the second.
Some have jumped on the suggestion that Spain’s push to use renewable energy had made an impact.
Last year, renewables accounted for 53 per cent of the country’s power generation. Solar photovoltaic (PV) accounted for 59 per cent of Spain's electricity at the time of the blackout, wind nearly 12 per cent, nuclear almost 11 per cent and combined cycle gas plants 5 per cent, Red Electrica data showed.
Climate Correspondent Nick Ferris reports:
Spain-Portugal power outage in numbers
13:01
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Bryony Gooch
The power outage across Spain and Portugal lasted 11 hours, from around 12:30pm local time til 10:30pm at night
30,000 police were deployed across the country to keep order as Spain’s interior ministry declared a state of emergency.
Emergency services in Madrid saw nearly 5,000 calls from the start of the blackout at 12.33pm on Monday until 7am next day.
In Catalonia, there were around 14,000 calls to 112 between noon on Monday and 8am Tuesday, rising from approximately 7,100 calls received on a usual day.
The Valencian Community recorded nearly 32,000 calls, the highest among regions that shared data, while the Basque Country received 3,500 - twice the usual number - mostly for elevator rescues and power issues.
At least seven people died during the power outage, with authorities continuing to investigate how the blackout may have impacted fatalities.
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said that the country suffered a loss of 15GW of electricity generation in five seconds, equivalent to 60 per cent of national demand.
In pictures: Travel returns to normal after the blackout caused transport chaos
12:45
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Bryony Gooch
EU urges need for a survival kit following blackout
12:32
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Bryony Gooch
The EU’s top official for crisis prevention has said that the major blackout which hit Spain and Portugal has highlighted the need to have a survival kit at the ready for the first hours or day of an emergency.
European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib said the outage was just the sort of event the EU executive had in mind when it presented its “preparedness strategy” last month, including a recommendation that EU citizens have a 72-hour survival kit.
“What happened in Spain and Portugal and partly in France shows that we need to be prepared. And it's not about alarming our people. It's not about war. It's about all kinds of hazards,” she said.
Lahbib said a key lesson from the blackout was to have some cash. “In times of crisis, of hybrid threats, your cards, bank cards can be just a piece of plastic, unfortunately, so you need to have some cash, but you need also to have a torch, some water, some food and so on.”
What caused the Spain and Portugal blackouts? Experts say incident is a warning
12:16
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Bryony Gooch
From cyber attack to blame on renewables, conspiracy theories have exploded in wake of Spain and Portugal’s power outage.
Stuti Mishra and Shweta Sharma report:
In pictures: Spanish PM hosts 'extaordinary' national security council meeting
12:01
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Bryony Gooch
Railway services are back to normal following blackout
11:46
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Bryony Gooch
Spain’s railway network is back to normal following the blackout’s travel chaos.
The ministry of transport reported there was “general normality in the network, stations and services.”
High speed rail is experiencing normal operation on all lines and services have been restored across the entire network for conventional medium and long distance transport.
SITUACIÓN DEL SERVICIO FERROVIARIO (11:00 H)
— Ministerio Transportes y Movilidad Sostenible (@transportesgob) April 30, 2025
✅ Normalidad generalizada en la red, estaciones y servicios.
Alta Velocidad: normalidad en todas las líneas.
Media y Larga Distancia Convencional: servicio recuperado en toda la red y normalidad en la operación.
In pictures: Passengers waiting for their trains in Madrid after the blackout
11:32
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Bryony Gooch
Madrid marathon runner calls blackout 'apocalyptic experience'
11:15
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Bryony Gooch
When Georgina Ragan went to Madrid to run the marathon on Sunday wit her friend, she couldn’t have imagined that the next day the city would be plunged into chaos due to the blackout.
She told The Independent: “We went for a walk around the city before heading to the airport for our flights and started to pick up on warning signs... the lifts in the buildings weren't working and all their restaurants had their lights off and were not serving food at 12:30 yet nobody said anything.
“We wandered around and finally realised the power outage and severity when we tried to purchase food and drinks.. we had no cash and nowhere was able to accept card. Our phones cut out and we had already checked out of our hotel and were left stranded with no money and no contact to anyone.
“Luckily our hotel made ham sandwiches and took passport info and served water. We grouped up with more British travellers and tried to make the situation as lighthearted as possible.”
She said that when they first got power at 10pm, everyone cheered and they were very slowly able to charge their phones.
She called it an “apocalyptic experience. A lesson that everyone should still carry cash and battery packs”, adding it was “not an ideal finish to a marathon.”
EU to investigate blackout in Spain and Portugal
11:01
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Bryony Gooch
The EU will begin a thorough investigation of the blackout in Spain and Portugal, EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen has said.
It comes after the Portuguese prime minister called on the EU’s Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators to perform an independent audit of the outage.
Pictured: The electrical sub-station at the interconnection grid between France and Spain that tripped after a sudden, large drop in power supply
10:46
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Bryony Gooch
The Santa Llogaia electrical sub-station, connected to the interconnection grid between France and Spain, tripped after a sudden, large drop in power supply and caused a major blackout.
Recap: Inside 12 hours of chaos in Spain during an unprecedented power blackout
10:31
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Bryony Gooch
From people being unable to withdraw money or fill up with petrol, to those hit by train and flight cancellations, Alicia Fabregas reported from Barcelona on the impact of Spain’s mass power cut.
Spain's national security council holds 'extraordinary' meeting following blackouts
10:15
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Bryony Gooch
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez chaired a meeting of the National Security Council to analyse the evolving energy situation following power outages across the country.
Esta mañana se celebra una nueva reunión extraordinaria del Consejo de Seguridad Nacional, presidida por @sanchezcastejon en La Moncloa, para analizar la evolución de la situación energética. pic.twitter.com/M6JUxyPO7U
— La Moncloa (@desdelamoncloa) April 30, 2025
Spanish power firm backtracks blame on renewable energy
10:01
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Bryony Gooch
Spanish grid operator Red Electrica's chairwoman Beatriz Corredor has said it was not correct to link the massive blackout that hit Spain and Portugal on Monday to the high share of renewable energy in the country's total generation.
She is not considering resigning, she added in an interview with radio station Cadena SER.
Police investigate death of family of three related to the blackouts
09:42
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Bryony Gooch
Police in Galicia are investigating the death of three people in the town of Taboadela as the first fatalities of the blackout emerge.
A spokeswoman said the bodies of “a couple and their son” were discovered in their home on Tuesday morning as power was restored to the area, according to reports.
Officers and forensic experts are investigating whether the family, who reportedly inhaled carbon monoxide, died as a result of a malfunctioning domestic generator or a fuel appliance.
Portuguese residents invest in battery-powered radios following blackout
09:14
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Bryony Gooch
We’re hearing reports from people living in Portugal who are buying battery-powered radios after a blackout rendered them unable to communicate or receive news via the internet or phone signal.
Mobile phone networks and Wi-Fi providers were hit by the power outage across Spain and Portugal meaning citizens were unable to access information.
Gui Bonito, who lives in Lisbon, told The Independent: “It was mostly chaotic because no one was able to contact anyone and unless we had a radio that ran on batteries, we couldn’t get the news.”
He said he already knew people who had gone and bought battery-powered radios following the blackout.
“I realised that we are 100 per cent dependent on technology, as soon as the electricity failed we were unable to contact anyone because the network went down.
“We were unable to cook because the stove is electric, and we were unable to shower or have water because the building supplies water on electric pumps.”
While technology may have been down, Gui said he saw the local community come together.
“I saw several neighbours knocking on doors making sure everyone was okay and everyone had lights and candles.
“In a weird sense, the blackout seems to also have brought people together.”
UK must wait for blackout cause to learn lessons to strengthen energy resilience
08:59
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Bryony Gooch
UK environment secretary Steve Reed has said the UK must wait to see what cause blackouts in Spain and Portugal before learning lessons to strengthen its energy network.
Mr Reed said on Times Radio: “We’re constantly looking at our own at our own resilience. There's a subcommittee of cabinet chaired by Pat McFadden that is doing that day in and day out.”
“When it comes to what's gone on in Spain and Portugal, we need to have a look at exactly what their investigation finds out, and then see what lessons we can learn from it.
“But it's difficult to learn the lessons until they find out what's caused it.”
In picture: The Madrid open restarts following the blackout
08:46
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Bryony Gooch
Spanish PM calls for answers over cause of blackout
08:30
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Bryony Gooch
Yesterday Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez held an emergency meeting with the private energy sector operators where he asked them to collaborate with the government to identify the causes of the blackout.
He said on social media: “I held an emergency meeting with the private electricity sector operators. I thanked them for their work in restoring power quickly and asked them to work with the government and independent bodies to identify the causes of the incident.
“We must undertake the necessary improvements to guarantee the supply and future competitiveness of our system.”
He mantenido una reunión de urgencia con los operadores privados del sector eléctrico. Les he agradecido su labor en la pronta recuperación del suministro, y les he pedido que colaboren con el Gobierno y los organismos independientes para identificar las causas del incidente.… pic.twitter.com/IMVzJYcsnQ
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) April 29, 2025
No effects in the UK from Spain and Portugal power cuts
07:52
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Shweta Sharma
Power cuts in Spain and Portugal had "no effects in the UK" but the UK government is monitoring the situation and "any lessons learned from this event", an energy minister has said.
Kerry McCarthy told the Commons: "Well, first of all, I think the whole House will want to send support to Spain and Portugal following the incidents yesterday.
"There were no effects in the UK but we do continue to closely monitor the situation and any lessons learned from this event.
"I'm not going to speculate as to the causes of that event but what we need to do is to ensure that our own systems are as resilient as possible."
Ms McCarthy’s response came to the DUP's Gregory Campbell, the MP for East Londonderry, who had raised questions over the reliance on net zero emissions.
"Given the sheer scale of the outages in both Portugal and Spain over the past few days, is it likely that the conference will consider and possibly conclude that there is some correlation between the obsession with net zero and what happened in Portugal and Spain?" he had asked.
Travelling to Spain or Portugal after power outage? Simon Calder explains your rights
07:00
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Alex Croft
Spanish military assisted 7,117 people during power outage
06:51
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Shweta Sharma
The Spanish armed forces said they responded to 7,117 emergency calls from people since the outage began on Monday.
It was in addition to support for hospitals and other facilities during the crisis that saw millions of people stranded or stuck in various places.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the military assisted 7,117 people and distributed 4,465 blankets, 1,612 rations and 3,520 bottles of water.
A state of emergency was declared in Spain and Portugal after the two countries were plunged into darkness.
Gran trabajo de nuestros militares durante el #apagón:
— Ministerio Defensa (@Defensagob) April 29, 2025
7.117 personas atendidas con 4.465 mantas, 1.612 raciones y 3.520 botellas de agua.
Apoyo a hospitales y centros: 99.866 L de combustible, 23 generadores, 210 literas.
️ Albergue para 84 personas en @mapagob. pic.twitter.com/Sstk7h8hb9
Spanish authorities investigating seven deaths during power blackout
06:37
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Shweta Sharma
Authorities are investigating seven deaths and their links to the mass power blackout in the country on Monday, state broadcaster RTVE reported.
At least six people died "under different circumstances" in the towns of Ferrol, Dumbría, Betanzos (A Coruña), and Taboadela (Ourense).
A man died in a fire started by a candle in the Carabanchel neighborhood of Madrid, following the outage.
Spain's Civil Guard found the bodies of an elderly couple, aged 81 and 77, along with their son,56, at their home in Taboadela, a town in the northwestern region of Galicia.
Authorities believe the three died from carbon monoxide poisoning, likely caused by fumes from a generator located outside the house. One of the victims is said to have suffered from respiratory problems and occasionally needed breathing support.
Three more deaths linked to the outage were reported on Monday in Galicia: a 59-year-old man with health issues in Ferrol, an 80-year-old man in Betanzos, and an 86-year-old man in Dumbria.
How is power being restored to cities?
06:12
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Shweta Sharma
Power has started returning to households with more than 99 per cent of the country’s supply restored.
A "black start" is the process of restoring power after a major cut.
It involves gradually restarting power plants individually and reconnecting them to the grid.
As Spain tried to get more power back on Monday it turned more gas and hydropower plants online and increased power imports from France and Morocco.
Did Spain’s push for renewable energy have any impact on its mass power blackout?
06:00
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Alex Croft
Some have jumped on the suggestion that Spain’s push to use renewable energy had made an impact. Last year, renewables accounted for 53 per cent of the country’s power generation. Solar photovoltaic (PV) accounted for 59 per cent of Spain's electricity at the time of the blackout, wind nearly 12 per cent, nuclear almost 11 per cent and combined cycle gas plants 5 per cent, Red Electrica data showed.
In a span of just five minutes, between 12.30pm and 12.35 pm local time on Monday, solar PV generation plunged by more than 50 per cent to 8 gigawatts (GW) from more than 18 GW, the data showed.
The Independent’s climate correspondent Nick Ferris explains:
What we know about Monday's sweeping power outage in Spain and Portugal
05:48
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Shweta Sharma
The sweeping power outage that hit Spain and Portugal this week has raised questions about the electricity grid in a region not normally known for blackouts.
Monday's outage, one of the worst ever in Europe, started in the afternoon and lasted through nightfall, affecting tens of millions of people across the Iberian Peninsula. It disrupted businesses, hospitals, transit systems, cellular networks and other critical infrastructure.
Authorities in Spain and Portugal are still investigating exactly what caused the failure, though some information has emerged about happened.
Read to know everything that happened.
Power returns in Spain and Portugal but questions mount over cause of outage
04:56
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Shweta Sharma
As life returns to normal for most in Spain and Portugal after a massive power blackout across the two nations caused chaos, the governments are still trying to find the reason behind the outage.
The cause of one of Europe's biggest ever power system collapses remains unclear with Portuguese pointing fingers at neighbouring Spain as the source of the issue.
Red Electrica pointed to a "strong oscillation in the power flow which triggered "a very significant loss of generation".
Aurora Energy analysts said the frequency of the grid dropped from the nominal 50Hz to 49.85Hz, triggering automatic emergency protocols.
"The frequency decline likely began due to severe oscillations in high-voltage lines in southern France or inland Spain. Hypotheses include a physical fault (line disconnection), a sudden loss of generation within Spain or an atmospheric phenomenon," they said.
This loss of generation went beyond what the electrical systems are designed to handle and the Spanish grid was disconnected from the European system.
The electric grid suffered two “disconnection events”, causing instability in the system. The system recovered from the first event, but the second caused a widespread blackout, said the REE.
The most common cause of an unplanned power cut which disables electricity on a large scale is extreme weather such as storms, lightning strikes or high winds. The weather at the time of Monday's collapse was fair.
Power outages can also happen when there are faults at power stations, power distribution lines, substations or other parts of the system.
Another source with direct knowledge of the sector said that leading up to the outage the Spanish grid was running with very little "inertia", which is energy stored in a large rotating mass like a generator or in some industrial motors that acts as a buffer as it can quickly be used to compensate for sudden changes in demand or supply.
"In those conditions (when there is little inertia) if there’s a drop in production for whatever reason, the grid loses (more) inertia and everything fails. And in a blackout, you need to rebuild inertia before bringing things back online, which takes a few hours," the source said, requesting anonymity.
Madrid Open tennis tournament resumes
04:21
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Shweta Sharma
The Madrid Open tennis tournament resumed after the unexplained blackout caused 22 matches to be postponed on Monday.
A packed schedule on Tuesday included second-ranked Iga Swiatek advancing to the quarter-finals.
There was no power at the Caja Magica tennis complex that is hosting the Madrid Open until Tuesday.
Jacob Fearnley, a qualifier at the Madrid Open, had been mounting a last stand against Grigor Dimitrov when the lights went off mid-play. Both players were sent off court after the lights went dark.
Spectators were asked to leave the sports complex and the organisers said games were called off “to guarantee the safety of the players, fans and personnel”.
Many players said they used the time to reflect and relax as the batteries of their phones died.
World No 6 Jack Draper said he was "actually enjoying" the time to "focus on what is important."
"I'm a bit of a minimalist," he said. "Everyone was panicking, but it was so nice to actually have no phone and none of the other (stuff) going on in the world, and just try and focus on what is important. I ended up reading 10 pages of a book. Usually I don't read at all, so it was interesting."
Telecom services resume in Greenland after Spain blackout
01:00
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Alex Croft
Telephone and internet services have been restored to remote communities in Greenland after the were cut off following the Spain blackout.
The remote areas s
