Power outage in Europe: All you need to know - when, where, how and why it happened

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Things are almost back to normal for most of Spain after widespread power outages in the country. Spanish power operator Red Electrica said "99.95% of demand restored" in its latest update and work is being done to get it back to 100%.

Several commuter train lines remain canceled until further notice, primarily affecting Bilbao, Cadiz, Seville, Zaragoza, Vigo, and San Sebastian. Commuter services in Madrid and Valencia are returning to normal, but with reduced services. Services from Madrid to Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga, Santander, Granada, and the Basque Country are gradually resuming normal operations. Trains from Madrid to Huelva, Cadiz, Salamanca, Badajoz, and Galicia remain canceled until further notice.

The Madrid Metro has fully reopened, except for Line 7A, which connects the north of the city to the east via Atletico Madrid's stadium.

There are under 500 flight cancellations across Spain and Portugal.

When did the outage occurred?

A massive power outage swept across the Iberian Peninsula, affecting millions of people in Spain, Portugal, and parts of southern France. The outage occurred around 10:30 GMT, equivalent to 12:30 pm local time in Spain.

The outage, known as "el cero" (the zero), occurred at 11:33 am Western European summer time, according to Portugal's grid operator, Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN).

Where did it happen?

Mainland Portugal experienced a complete blackout. Mainland Spain was severely impacted, with widespread disruptions in regions including Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and others. Andorra faced a brief power outage that lasted only a few seconds. Southern France, specifically the French Basque Country, experienced a brief power outage lasting a few minutes. Morocco's internet providers were affected due to servers in Spain being offline.

What caused the outage?

The exact cause is still unclear, but Portugal's Prime Minister Luis Montenegro suggested that the outage started in Spain. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hasn't ruled out any possibilities, including a cyberattack. The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity pointed to a cable fault as the likely cause. Experts have also warned that an excess of solar power generation in the grid could trigger blackouts.

REN attributed the outage to a "rare atmospheric phenomenon" that caused severe temperature variations, leading to anomalous oscillations in high-voltage lines. This phenomenon, known as "induced atmospheric vibration," caused synchronization failures between electrical systems, resulting in successive disturbances across the interconnected European network.

What is the role of renewables and grid balancing?

Spain's shift towards renewable energy, particularly solar and wind power, has brought its own challenges. The grid requires constant management to ensure it is not overloaded or left short. Power stations shut down automatically if the frequency breaks out of normal range, and restarting them requires reconnection to users. Investing in grid balancing technologies, such as flywheels or advanced power electronics, is crucial to managing the integration of renewables.