Iberian Peninsula, close to blackout: trains stopped, airports paralyzed, sports competitions suspended

A major power outage hit the Iberian Peninsula and parts of western Europe on Monday, leaving millions without electricity, disrupting transport, telecommunications and economic activity in several regions. The worst-hit countries were Spain, Portugal and Andorra, and parts of France also felt the effects of massive power outages. Although the exact extent of the incident is not yet fully known, authorities in several countries reported significant disruptions, while electricity companies worked to remedy the situation.

The problems began shortly after noon Spanish time and quickly spread over a wide area, affecting major cities across the country. The Balearic and Canary Islands were not affected, but on the mainland, public transport was seriously disrupted, with trains stopped and passengers evacuated. Traffic lights were down, causing traffic chaos, and many businesses, shops and restaurants in Madrid and other cities were plunged into darkness. Internet services were also disrupted, further disrupting daily life.

In Portugal, the situation was similar, with official sources saying the outage was nationwide. Portuguese airline TAP Air told passengers not to travel to airports until further notice, saying some of its services were not operating normally. Madrid's Barajas International Airport was also without power, and telecommunications were disrupted in large areas.

In France, network operator RTE confirmed that parts of the south of the country, particularly those close to the Spanish border, were temporarily without electricity. Although power was restored relatively quickly, an RTE spokeswoman declined to provide further details on the extent and exact causes of the outage. Meanwhile, citizens in Andorra and neighboring French regions have reported similar problems.

Spanish electricity grid operator Red Electrica announced that it had begun the process of restoring power to the north and south of the country, stressing that this step is essential for returning to normal. The company confirmed the outages and assured that all its resources are being mobilized to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

The impact was also felt in the field of sports: the Madrid Open, the annual clay-court tennis tournament, was suspended due to the lack of electricity in the Spanish capital and its surroundings. Spain's national railway company, Renfe, also reported that "the entire national electricity network was interrupted" at 12:30 local time, which led to the stoppage of trains and the suspension of departures from all stations.

Regarding the possible causes of this major power outage, information remains uncertain. Some media sources have spoken of problems in the European electricity grid, which would have affected national networks in the Iberian Peninsula. At the same time, a fire that broke out in southwestern France, which would have affected a high-voltage line between Perpignan and Narbonne, was mentioned as a possible cause of this chain of malfunctions.

Romania was not affected by this situation, assured the Romanian Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja, in a live intervention on Digi24. "Romanians do not need to worry, we have no reason to worry," said Burduja, emphasizing that the national energy system is operating within normal parameters. The minister explained the seriousness of such an event, recalling that Romania has faced a blackout only once, in 1977, when the damage caused exceeded even the effects of the devastating earthquake of the same year.

Later, on the official Facebook page, Minister Sebastian Burduja, who was in Warsaw at an event organized on the sidelines of the Three Seas Initiative summit, stated: "In the context of major power outages in Spain and Portugal, I appeal to all Romanian citizens to remain calm. I am in permanent contact with the National Energy Dispatcher. We have no problem at the moment in the national energy system. We are now covering our own consumption from what we produce and export over 200 MW (ed. note - megawatts). In our country, the situation is being closely monitored and is under control. I have full confidence in our experts, who have demonstrated every time that we are capable of managing the difficult situations that have arisen, as were those during the Easter holidays. Regarding the causes of the blackout in Spain and Portugal, priority zero is the restoration of electricity supply to all consumers. In the coming hours and days there will be, with certain, an in-depth analysis of the causes and effects, including the necessary measures at national and European level".

Contacted by the BURSA newspaper, Laurenţiu Urluescu - president of the Association of Electricity and Gas Suppliers (AFEER) - told us: "A blackout means a line tripping for a certain reason, which then leads to successive trips on other lines and the world remains in darkness. Anytime such an incident is possible to happen anywhere. It is a bit like your fuse blowing at home; a blackout is something similar on a much larger scale. It can occur even in very good conditions of consumption balanced with production and distribution; it is possible that everything is perfect and suddenly a short circuit occurs on a high or medium voltage line. Remember that a few years ago, we also had a temporary blackout in the western part of the country, after the short circuit occurred in Croatia, affected the western part of Romania and went to Hungary. Basically, we are talking about some technical problems that can occur anywhere, anytime and no one can guarantee 100% that something like this cannot happen. However, I would like to mention that the risk of such a blackout occurring is low, especially since the National Dispatch Office takes into account several scenarios, calculations are made regarding the connection or withdrawal of power lines, so that the national energy system is prepared to successfully overcome any kind of disruption".

Regarding yesterday's incident, the authorities in the affected countries continue to investigate the causes of the power outage and are working to fully restore services, while the population remains waiting for official explanations and a return to normality.