Massive Power Outage Hits Spain, Portugal, and France | Transport, Airports, and Madrid Open Affected

Massive Power Outage Hits Spain Portugal, and parts of France. Public transport halted, airports delayed, and the Madrid Open suspended. Full coverage here.

Madrid, April 28, 2025 — In an unprecedented event on Monday, a widespread power outage plunged Spain, Portugal, and parts of France into chaos, halting public transportation, paralyzing airports, causing massive traffic jams, and even suspending the high-profile Madrid Open tennis tournament.

The blackout, which started in the early afternoon, led to emergency cabinet meetings in Spain and Portugal, with authorities scrambling to restore the crippled electricity grids.

Public Life Comes to a Standstill

In Madrid, the heartbeat of Spain, parts of the Madrid underground metro were evacuated as commuters found themselves stranded in dark, stalled subway cars. Traffic lights stopped working, creating severe gridlock across the city center. Witnesses reported heavy police presence at key locations, managing traffic manually and patrolling central atriums with flashing lights.

Local radio stations confirmed numerous reports of people trapped inside elevators and metro cars, while office buildings were emptied out, forcing hundreds to gather on the sidewalks amid uncertainty and concern.

One of the iconic Four Towers, housing the British Embassy, was also evacuated as a safety measure.

Sports and Travel Disruptions

The prestigious Madrid Open tennis tournament was thrown into disarray. The Round of 32 match between 15th seed Grigor Dimitrov and Britain’s Jacob Fearnley was suspended mid-game. Play was halted as scoreboards went dark and overhead spidercams lost power, posing a serious hazard by dangling dangerously close to the court.

Meanwhile, Lisbon and Porto’s entire metro systems were shut down, leaving thousands of commuters stranded. Trains stopped running, and traffic lights failed across Portugal, leading to a nationwide standstill.

Airports weren’t spared either. Lisbon Airport, Portugal’s busiest hub, was forced to operate on backup generators. Spain’s AENA, managing 46 airports across the country, reported flight delays and disruptions as critical systems faltered.

Utilities Scramble to Restore Power

Portugal’s main grid operator, REN, confirmed the electricity cut across the Iberian Peninsula, while Spain’s Red Eléctrica said they were working closely with regional providers to restore power in phases. Both agencies are coordinating with European energy producers and operators to stabilize the grid.

“All plans for phased restoration of energy supply are being activated,” a REN spokesperson stated, adding that authorities are investigating the possible causes of the incident.

In France, energy grid operator RTE confirmed a brief outage in the south but reported that power has since been fully restored.

Investigations Underway

At this time, the exact cause of the outage remains unclear. Experts suggest that such a large-scale disruption could be linked to failures in cross-border transmission systems or a cyber incident, but no official cause has been confirmed yet.

Authorities have urged residents to stay alert and avoid unnecessary travel until the situation fully stabilizes.

Key Highlights:

• Widespread blackout affects Spain, Portugal, and parts of France.
• Madrid underground partially evacuated; traffic lights down in major cities.
• Madrid Open suspended mid-match due to power loss.
• Airports operating on backup generators; flights delayed.
• Investigation underway into the cause of the outage.

The Iberian Peninsula faces one of its most disruptive energy crises in recent years. As power slowly returns and authorities investigate the root cause, today’s events serve as a stark reminder of our vulnerability to large-scale infrastructure failures.
Stay tuned for more updates as this developing story unfolds.