A significant power outage has affected Spain, Portugal, and parts of France, resulting in widespread disruptions. The outage has impacted major cities, including Madrid and Lisbon, which are currently without electricity and internet services. Other cities, such as Seville, Barcelona, and Valencia, have also been affected by the power loss.

A grid operator in Portugal has stated that the outage is attributed to “extreme temperature variations,” as reported by the Independent. However, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has noted that there is no conclusive information available regarding the cause of the blackout, offering a different perspective on the situation.

The grid operator has warned that it may take up to a week to restore power, although some estimates suggest that services could be reinstated within ten hours. Meanwhile, Spanish power company Red Electrica has announced that it has already restored power to certain areas in the northern regions of the Iberian Peninsula.

The power outages have resulted in significant disruptions, including the closure of airports and the cancellation of events such as the Madrid Open. Spain’s primary railway operator, Renfe, has reported that trains are currently stuck at stations or along their routes due to the lack of electricity.

The question remains as to how extreme temperature variations could cause such a severe blackout. According to reports, the grid experienced “anomalous oscillations” that led to fluctuations in the amount of voltage carried to power lines, potentially causing these lines to become desynchronized. A professor who spoke to The Times explained the situation in more detail.

Professor Chenghong Gu stated, “These oscillations reportedly caused ‘synchronisation failures’ between the electrical systems, leading to successive disturbances across the interconnected European network. This is why many customers in different parts of the EU grid are being cut off.”