On April 28, 2025, just after lunchtime, millions of people across Spain and Portugal suddenly found themselves without power. Streetlights went dark, trains came to a stop, and even hospitals had to switch to emergency generators. For a moment, it felt like the entire Iberian Peninsula had hit pause. Parts of southern France were affected too.
In only a few seconds, about 15 gigawatts of electricity disappeared from the system. That’s more than half of the country’s total demand. The areas of Granada, Badajoz, and Seville were identified as key points where the failure started, but the exact reason is still unclear. At first, people worried it might be a cyberattack, but Spain’s Energy Minister, Sara Aagesen, said there was no sign of any digital intrusion in the national power grid. Even so, cybersecurity experts are still looking into the remote systems used by smaller renewable energy producers, just to be safe.
At the time, renewable sources like solar and wind were generating around 70 percent of Spain’s electricity. While no one is blaming them directly, the blackout brought up an important conversation about how stable the grid really is when it relies so much on energy that can come and go depending on the weather. The need for better energy storage and smarter management is clearer than ever.
Thankfully, the power wasn’t gone for long. Diesel generators were turned on and electricity was brought in through connections with other countries. Within six to ten hours, most areas had their power back. Still, the blackout showed just how fragile the system can be and reminded everyone that Europe’s energy transition has to include stronger protections.
Now, both Spanish and European officials are digging into the details. A special team of experts is investigating what happened and will come up with suggestions to avoid something like this in the future.
What happened that day was a big warning. As Europe pushes forward with cleaner energy, making sure the system is strong and safe has to be part of the plan.