April 28 Blackout Cuts 15 GW in Spain, Portugal for 10 Hours; €53 Million Losses, Cause Under Investigation

On April 28, 2025, Spain and Portugal experienced a sweeping blackout that lasted around 10 hours, resulting in the sudden loss of 15 gigawatts—about 60% of Spain's national electricity demand. The outage disrupted public transportation, forced the evacuation of 35,000 passengers, affected hospitals, and interrupted telecommunications. Initial speculation pointed to the high share of renewable energy—nearly 60% of Spain’s and over 70% of Portugal’s electricity in 2024—on the grid as a possible factor. However, the Spanish grid operator, French grid operator RTE, and European Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen have all stated there is no evidence linking renewables to the blackout. The cause remains undetermined, and authorities stress it is too early to draw conclusions. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has pledged transparency and a full investigation into the blackout, while the Ministry for Ecological Transition has warned that it may take many days to determine the origin of the outage. European authorities have announced an independent investigation, with a factual report expected within six months. The blackout led to economic losses, particularly in the food distribution sector, which estimates at least 53 million euros in losses due to spoiled perishable goods and logistical challenges. Spain is now working with France and Portugal to reinforce the robustness of its power grid and implement enhanced security measures.