12.30 pm on Monday, April 28, 2025, normality. 12.31 hours, normality. 12.32, mass blackout. In just three minutes, Spain totally changed and suffered a historical collapse. An electric supply cut shook and stopped the country completely. A sharp decrease in energy caused a mass blackout in the Iberian Peninsula. Although some areas began to recover electricity hours later, normality has not yet returned to the entire country and uncertainty about the origin of the incident persists.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, admitted in his appearances after the cut that the exact causes of this “energy zero” unpublished and stressed that “All hypotheses remain open,” in addition to inviting “not to speculate”. The investigation to clarify what happened continues. Meanwhile, this is what is known and what is not a moment of absolute chaos.
How did it start?
The blackout started after “a very strong oscillation in the power flows”, as the president explained. For five seconds 15,000 MW of the energy that was occurring, which is equivalent to 60% of the light consumed at that time, according to electricity grid sources disappeared suddenly. “It’s something that had never happened,” said Sánchez. This important loss of electric generation caused collapse.
What caused the fall?
At the moment, there is no official explanation about what this blackout has caused. In his second appearance of the day, Sanchez said that No hypothesis is ruled out And he said that analysts have not yet been able to determine which has been the trigger for that “disappearance” of MW.
Was it for a rare atmospheric phenomenon?
From Portugal came one of the theories that has finally seemed to be discarded. The Portuguese generator Nacionais energy networks communicated in the early afternoon that a strange weather phenomenon in Spain would be the origin of the blackout. Specifically there was talk of a “ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENO INDUCED IN VIBRATION“. Shortly after, however, sources from that same organism denied that information.
What is an induced atmospheric vibration?
An induced atmospheric vibration is a disturbance in the atmosphere that occurs as a result of an external event, normally of artificial or not completely natural origin, and that generates waves or vibrations in the air or in the upper layers of the atmosphereaccording to Meteored. These vibrations are sometimes spread as acoustic waves (infrasound) or as electromagnetic disturbances that can even alter electronic systems, electrical networks or communications if they are intense enough, meteorologists explain.
Has it been a cyber attack?
Red Eléctrica has denied that a cyber attack can be treated. The director of Red Electrico Services, Eduardo Prieto, has just discarded preliminary at a press conference that the cause of the mass blackout in the Iberian Peninsula is a “cybersecurity incident.” “This morning we have been able to conclude that Indeed there has not been any type of intrusion In the electricity grid control system that could have caused the incident. “
When will normality be recovered?
Complete recovery has not yet arrivedbut electric companies work on it. 99% of the peninsular electrical demand had already been recovered at 6.00 on Tuesday, with a total production of 21,265 megawatts (MW), according to updated electricity data. Likewise, 100% of the substations of the transport network in the peninsular territory were already in service, a total of 680. In this way, the recovery of the peninsular electrical system is close to normal, after the blackout that paralyzed Spain this Monday, although there are still problems in transport: Rodalies continues to be suspended due to the instability of the voltage in the electricity grid to guarantee the circulation of the trains and Madrid Metro He has reopened at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, although at 80% and except line 7a.
Renfe has indicated that the services will be restored progressively throughout the day, depending on the recovery of the electricity supply in the affected lines and sections. For the moment, and with data at 08.00, in Madrid Cercaníasthe offer reaches 50% in all lines, although the C5 will only be operational between Humanes and Atocha. The sections between Pinto and Aranjuez and between Guadalajara and Alcalá de Henares will remain without service at the beginning. In Valencia, lines C2 (Valencia-Xàtiva) and C6 will work 100%, while the C1 will be without tension between chair and gandía.
They remain suppressed until further notice the services of Cercanías in Alicante, Zaragoza, Cádiz, Sevilla, Málaga, Bilbao and San Sebastián, as well as the Avant and Medium Distance services in Andalusia and Extremadura.
In the lines of High speed and long distancetheir circulations resume from the beginning of Tuesday those of Madrid-Barcelona, Madrid-Valencia/Murcia/Alicante, Madrid-País Vasco, Madrid-Algeciras, Málaga-Granada, Madrid-Asturias, Madrid-Santander, Madrid-Córdoba and Madrid-Sevilla. The Madrid-Pamplona line starts the service with delays. The Madrid-Huelva, Madrid-Badajoz, Madrid-Cádiz, Madrid-Galicia, Madrid-Salamanca, Madrid-Logroño, Barcelona-Aliante (Euromed) and Basque Country and Basque Country and Barcelona services remain suppressed.
The National Police and the Civil Guard have reported Tuesday that The night has passed “with absolute normality” and without incident After the generalized electric blackout suffered throughout the Peninsula.
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