Spain and Portugal have been hit by a major power outage, causing widespread disruptions including the failure of subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights, and ATMs.
Madrid and Lisbon are among the cities impacted by the incident, which has been flagged by Spain's power grid operator, Red Eléctrica, which warned that the outage could last up to 10 hours.
The two countries, with a combined population of more than 50 million, are still assessing the full extent of the impact, although it is unclear how many people have been affected at this stage.
Here is what we know so far...
What is happening in Spain and Portugal?
Both Iberian countries are facing an ongoing crisis after a widespread power outage on Monday paralysed public transport and caused significant traffic jams.
Now that power has been restored, authorities are investigating the cause and managing the fallout. Some public transit lines, such as overground trains, still need support to return to normal functionality.
The Portuguese Cabinet convened an emergency meeting at the prime minister's residence, while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Red Eléctrica to monitor efforts to restore power to the grid.
Spain's public broadcaster, RTVE, reported that a major power outage struck several regions of the country just after midday local time on Monday. This left its newsroom, Spain's Parliament in Madrid, and subway stations across the country in darkness.
Portugal's government stated that the incident appeared to stem from issues outside the country, an official told national news agency Lusa.
"It looks like it was a problem with the distribution network, apparently in Spain. It's still being ascertained," Cabinet minister Leitao Amaro was quoted as saying.
Portuguese distributor E-Redes attributed the outage to "a problem with the European electricity system," according to Portuguese newspaper Expresso. The details of this are under investigation, with Spain’s King Felipe VI presiding over a meeting amid an ongoing state of emergency.
E-Redes said it was compelled to cut power in specific areas to stabilise the network. It added that parts of France were also affected.
Have the power outages affected flights?
The power outages in Spain and Portugal caused significant disruptions to flights on Monday, with many departures and arrivals delayed. Nearly 100 flights due to depart Portugal and 45 from Spain were reportedly cancelled.
However, as of Tuesday, flight operations appeared to have largely resumed. Flights from London to Lisbon, Barcelona, and Madrid landed successfully, indicating that the situation had stabilised for many major airports.
Flight cancellations across Spain and Portugal remained under 500 on Tuesday, transport journalist Simon Calder reported.
He emphasised that the scale of the disruption was not comparable to the recent power outage at Heathrow Airport, which resulted in 1,400 flight cancellations.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Breakfast, Calder explained that many passengers travelling from Spain and Portugal to the UK faced significant challenges reaching the airports due to severe disruptions in ground transportation.
While some airlines offered flexibility by allowing travellers to reschedule their flights, Calder noted that other airlines have not been as accommodating.
For those flying on Tuesday, Calder suggested that most flights should proceed without major issues, despite a few lingering delays. Passengers can generally expect to reach their destinations.
AENA, the Spanish airport operator responsible for 46 airports across the country, confirmed flight delays across various locations, though there have been no reports of major cancellations.
Portugal's airport operator, ANA, announced that emergency generators had been activated at key airports, including Porto and Faro, ensuring that essential operations could continue. While Lisbon's airport remains operational, there are some limitations, though no significant disruptions have been reported for Madeira and the Azores airports.
In response to the ongoing issues, Madrid's mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, posted a video on X (formerly Twitter), urging residents to minimise travel and remain at their current locations if possible to avoid further congestion and strain on the city's infrastructure.
The situation continues to evolve, and updates will follow as more information becomes available.
