Spain’s blackout: power back online after more than 10-hour outage

By Dulce Lada

Madrid. - At exactly 12:30 p.m. on Monday, April 28, millions of people across Spain, Portugal, and parts of southern France experienced one of the largest power outages in recent history.

Residents flooded the streets as traffic lights failed, causing severe congestion.

James Ancheta, a passenger who takes Metro Madrid told Pinoy Portal Europe (PPE) of his ordeal.

"Na-stuck kami nang halos 30 minutos sa Line 10 malapit sa Tribunal station. Madilim sa loob, nagsisiksikan at nagkakabanggaan ang mga pasahero. Walang signal at emergency lights lang ang gumagana." (We were stuck for 30 minutes inside Line 10 near the Tribunal station. It was dark inside, and it was cramped and passengers jostled against each other. There was no signal and only the emergency lights were on.)

"Sa huli, pinilit naming buksan ang pinakaunang pinto ng tren - iyon lang kasi ang puwedeng mabuksan - at doon kami lahat bumaba. Nakakapagod at nakaka-stress ang nangyari." ( In the end, we forced a door at the front end of the train - it was the only door we could open - and from there we all got out. It was a tiring and stressful experience.)

Long queues formed at bus stops — the only public transport still operating — while shops shuttered and people lined up at money exchange stores after ATMs stopped working. 

Mell Ceniza Sabido who works as ground attendant at the Madri-Barajas Airport also said the power outage caused chaos at the airport.

"It was extremely chaotic at the airport. We were running on generators  until past 1:30 a.m. Many passengers were stranded -including pregnant women and children -some were sitting on the floor. There was panic, but thankfully, most people stayed calm," Sabido said.

"Rebooking was difficult, taking 2 to 4 days for some, and some airlines didn´t provide hotels or meals. We were overwhelmed with passenger inquiries, but we pushed through despite being exhausted. It was also hard because there were no charging areas outside the boarding zone," Sabido added.

Internet and mobile networks were also widely disrupted.

Authorities have not yet officially confirmed the cause of the blackout.

Power restoration efforts began around 10:00 p.m. on Monday evening.

By early Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that recovery was nearly complete.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) at 8:41 a.m. on April 29, 2025, Sánchez wrote:

"Tras una noche intensa, se ha logrado restablecer el 99,95 de demanda energética atendida y el 100% de las subestaciones de la red de transportes están repuestas.

En unos minutos volveremos a reunirnos en el Consejo de Seguridad Nacional para analizar la situación actual.

Gracias a toda la ciudadania por ser de nuevo un ejemplo de responsabilidady civismo."

(“After an intense night, 99.95% of energy demand has been restored and 100% of transport network substations are back online. In a few minutes, we will reconvene the National Security Council to assess the current situation. Thank you to all citizens for once again being an example of responsibility and civic behavior.”)

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education, Science and Universities instructed schools in Madrid to remain open on April 29, operating without regular academic activities to continue offering essential services such as student care and school meals.

Principals have been authorized to adjust schedules to accommodate transportation disruptions.

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