- Spain and Portugal experienced major power outages on Monday when Spain's electrical network dropped from 27,500 to 15,000 megawatts. Officials have not reported a cause.
- The outages affected multiple countries and disrupted various services including public transportation, ATMs and retail operations.
- Key preparedness measures for power outages include keeping cash on hand, maintaining a supply of nonperishable foods for at least three days and having backup power for essential devices.
At around noon on Monday, Spain’s electricity network website showed a steep drop from 27,500 megawatts to 15,000 megawatts, causing mass power outages in the country and in Portugal.
“We have never had a complete collapse of the system,” Spanish President Pedro Sánchez said, per The Associated Press. Though officials have not announced the cause of the outages, Sánchez said authorities “are analyzing all the potential causes without discarding any hypothesis.”
However, Teresa Ribera, a European Commission executive, said there were “no indications of any cyberattack” and also denied the possibility the outages were a result of sabotage, according to AP.
Some have speculated that extreme temperatures could have led to oscillations in high-voltage lines, resulting in the massive power loss, but The Local Spain reported that the country’s meteorological agency, AEMET, didn’t detect any “unusual meteorological or atmospheric phenomena,” adding that there were no sudden temperature fluctuations recorded on Monday.
The power outages also affected Portugal and parts of France.
As of Tuesday, power has been restored to all affected areas, and authorities are investigating its cause, The New York Times reported.
However, if you find yourself worried about power outages effecting you, here are some simple and easy measures of precaution that could make a world of difference if you find you and your family in the dark.
Have a supply of cash
One X user posted several videos of Spaniards waiting in long lines outside ATMS and electronic withdrawal machines on Monday.
The user wrote, “Always carry some cash! In Spain and Portugal, many people couldn’t shop during a power outage because they had no cash. When the power returned, everyone rushed to withdraw money, causing long lines at ATMs. Lesson: Don’t rely only on cards or mobile payments!”
Rocky Mountain Power also wrote that cash should be kept in everyone’s emergency kits.
Keep a supply of nonperishable foods
One Spanish user posted to X on Monday, “In the center of #MADRID people continue to crowd around the supermarkets that are still open, trying to connect to Wi-Fi. There are also lines to enter all kinds of stores.”
The video showed several out-the-door lines and crowds on the same street.
While some stores stayed open and allowed patrons to purchase goods with cash if their credit card readers were down, other retailers, including IKEA and the grocery chain Lidl, closed their doors in both Spain and Portugal after the outages hit, per the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
To prepare adequately for power outages, the University of Georgia encourages getting at least a three-day supply of food and other essentials.
The university’s list includes the following:
- Canned vegetables, fruits, meats, beans, soup, milk
- Bottled water
- Sugar, salt, pepper
- Peanut butter, crackers, granola bars, trail mix
- Baby food or infant formula
- Vitamins
- Toilet paper
- First-aid kit
Backup power
Though phone networks and Wi-Fi were spotty during the outages, most people were still able to make calls and connect. However, Sánchez encouraged people to keep their phone calls brief to alleviate strain on the systems, per BBC.
With public transportation down, including trains, airplanes, subways and cable cars, “another concern was how to get home with the subway shut and public buses packed,” The Associated Press reported.
Marina Sierra, a Madrid resident, faced the trouble of improvising a route home from school after students were evacuated on Monday.
“The building we were in was giving off smoke, they had to evacuate us quickly,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
While getting a full backup generator may not be realistic for you, Lockhart Power encourages having at least a fully-charged portable charger available in case of emergencies.