Without any prior warning, Portugal was left ‘in the dark’ this Monday, April 28. The widespread outage led to chaos as nearly all systems ground to a halt, and misinformation began to spread.
The extensive electrical supply failure affected Portugal and Spain from 11:30 a.m. onwards, and authorities have yet to provide an explanation.
Initial government action was announced by the, who confirmed that a task force had been established to monitor the blackout. He suggested that the issue “likely originated” outside Portugal.
Speculations arose alongside false news, purportedly from CNN, spreading quickly and suggesting that “EU cyber security agencies identified state-backed Russian groups as the chief suspects behind the disruptions”. Shortly thereafter, the being responsible for the power outage, which also impacted Spain, France, and Germany.
However, the stated that no signs of a cyberattack had been detected in the grid failure. Likewise, Teresa Ribera, the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President, noted the absence of evidence to support this theory, while acknowledging a “significant failure within the EU system.”
Transport disruptions and traffic confusion. Hospitals and schools at half capacity
Communications were affected, and traffic congestion increased in major cities with traffic lights out and more vehicles on the road. Meanwhile, bus stops became crowded as buses were among the few public transport options still in service.
Hospitals activated contingency plans, focusing solely on urgent care. Some schools in the country faced disruptions, but by nightfall, the government assured that classes would resume normally today.
Rush for batteries, empty supermarkets, and a run on fuel
Without power, many sought out batteries and candles. Moreover, as credit card payments were unavailable, people rushed to ATMs to withdraw cash.
Many businesses eventually closed, while others—with doors and electronic shutters that had ceased to function—were watched over by on-duty employees.
People flocked to purchase canned goods, bottled water, toilet paper, as well as fuel wherever supplies still existed.
What did Portuguese consumers hunt for in supermarkets and grocery stores? Discover what occurred in various regions of the country.
Notícias ao Minuto | 08:45 – 29/04/2025
The streets buzzed with conversations about the blackout, and terraces filled with people seeking a cold drink, while others gathered bread. Some remained in their cars to listen to the radio for news updates.
Energy restoration
The restoration of power occurred gradually throughout the day, beginning in the central region of the country. As the lights returned, celebrations erupted.
My brother managed to get an awesome video of the power returning in Porto #poweroutage #Portugal pic.twitter.com/gF2nVDstEQ
— connor nicholson (@connorn76171826) April 28, 2025
Power is back on in Lisbon Portugal people where actually cheering when the lights turned on again.#spainpower #Spain #Portugal #blackoutEurope #Blackout #Lisbon #Madrid #poweroutage pic.twitter.com/ByNabUrqUU
— JUST IN | World (@justinbroadcast) April 28, 2025
Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, who had addressed the nation in the afternoon, made an evening appeal for patience to those still without power, indicating that it wouldn’t be “much longer” before the situation was resolved. He also urged those with restored power to limit their consumption.
Montenegro emphasized that authorities are still “investigating what happened” and there is, as yet, “no conclusion.” He stressed, “We want to draw all conclusions about what went well and less so.”
Meanwhile, Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, stated that no hypothesis is being ruled out to explain the Iberian Peninsula’s power outage, which resulted in the “sudden disappearance,” within just five seconds, of 15 gigawatts of production.
“Such a system-wide drop to zero has never occurred before,” Sánchez stated in an address following the second meeting of Spain’s National Security Council that day.
This Tuesday morning, public transportation resumed service (though Lisbon’s Metro continued to face difficulties), and the fuel supply returned to normal.
The Minister of the Presidency announced at around 8:00 a.m. that electricity had been restored to the country’s 6.4 million customers, reporting that the nation is now “connected as usual,” across the night there were no security or civil protection disturbances.
Electricity has been restored to the country’s 6.4 million customers, with the country now “connected as usual”, and no security or civil protection disturbances occurred during the night, the Government reported today.
Lusa | 08:13 – 29/04/2025
The Council of Ministers is scheduled to meet again today (Tuesday) at 11:30 a.m. for further situation updates.
