‘Full collapse of the system’: Spanish PM Pedro Sanches on large -scale blackouts across Europe
On Monday, a large -scale power outage was washed away in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe, cities were paralyzed, stopping trains, cutting grounds and mobile signals. Large -scale blackout affected millions of people in countries including France, Belgium, Spain and Portugal.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanches called it “a complete collapse of the system” – the country has never been experienced before.
Sánchez said it one of the worst power in European history, in a national address, “We have never fallen the whole collapse of the system.”
According to the Prime Minister in Spain, the Power Grid lost 15 Gigawatt – 60% national demand – a shocking national demand in just five seconds on Monday evening.
By 7 am on Tuesday, more than 99% of energy demand was restored in Spain, the country’s power operator, Red Eletrica confirmed. Portugal grid operator Ren also announced that all 6.4 million customers were fully restored with all 89 substations, which had returned online from late Monday night.
Spain’s weather agency Amet said that there were no strange meteorological conditions or temperature ups and downs, causing blackouts. The National Cyber Security Center of Portugal rejected the possibility of a cyber attack, and European Council President Antonio Costa confirmed that “there were no signs of any cyber attack.” The subotage has also been rejected by Teresa Ribera, an executive vice -chairman of the European Commission, who has “said the event” one of the most serious episodes recorded in Europe in recent times “.
Trains, flights and passengers caught guard
Blackout had a wave effect on transport in Spain. Hundreds of trapped passengers waited overnight after the cancellation of train services at Atocha station in Madrid and Saint Station in Barcelona. The Red Cross provided blankets to the passengers who spent the night in the terminals.
Emergency services in Spain said that about 35,000 passengers were to be protected from stuck trains and underground metros on Monday. Sports Center, Airport and Station became Makshift Shelter.
Blackout also disrupted major events including the Madrid Open Tennis tournament, which was affected on Tuesday after the cancellation of a day earlier. The organizers postponed the opening of the day due to the ongoing electricity issues.
By Tuesday morning, the Madrid metro system returned to normal. In Barcelona, while metro services resumed, commuter trains remained suspended due to “electrical instability”, said by transport firm Rodles.
