Asger Risom
Portugal and Spain face prolonged energy disruptions as engineers struggle to stabilize the grid
An unusual atmospheric event has caused widespread power outages across Portugal, Spain, and parts of southern France, prompting urgent responses from national grid operators.
Experts warn that full restoration of the electrical network could take up to a week.
Unstable Weather Disrupts Power Grids
According to HotNews.ro, Portugal’s grid operator REN reported that the blackout stemmed from “abnormal oscillations” in Spain’s high-voltage lines, caused by extreme temperature fluctuations.
This rare phenomenon, known as “atmospheric-induced variation,” led to synchronization failures between interconnected systems, causing widespread disruptions.
REN warned that, due to the complexity of the damage, it may take up to a week to fully stabilize the affected grids. The disruption has affected large parts of Iberia, sparking concerns about the vulnerability of interconnected European power systems.
Cyberattack Not Ruled Out
While Portuguese officials cited atmospheric causes, Spanish authorities have not excluded the possibility of a cyberattack.
The European Commission confirmed that it is in contact with Spanish and Portuguese authorities, as well as the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), to investigate the true cause of the incident.
Specialists note that while localized power line failures can cause significant outages, the scale of this event suggests a more complex underlying issue.
Past incidents, such as a 2021 interconnection failure between France and Spain, underline how quickly instability can ripple across tightly linked power systems.
Engineers Face a Difficult Road to Recovery
Maintaining a stable electrical grid requires constant balancing of supply and demand. Sudden shifts, like a major line failure, disrupt the frequency of alternating current (normally 50 Hz in Spain), triggering circuit breakers and plant shutdowns to protect infrastructure.
Engineers must now methodically restore the network, section by section, without upsetting the delicate balance that keeps the system stable. Acting too quickly risks further collapses, while acting too slowly can complicate the restart of key facilities.
Although partial service has already been restored in some areas, experts caution that full normalization could take significantly longer than initially anticipated.