Spain and Portugal have been paralyzed by a widespread power outage on Monday<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A huge power outage struck Spain and Portugal at around noon on Monday, paralyzing public transport and delaying flights. The cause of the blackout has not officially been determined, although an EU grid operator cited a \u201crare atmospheric phenomenon\u201d as a possible factor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The governments of the two EU nations have convened emergency cabinet meetings following the outage, which also briefly affected parts of France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Spain, blackouts were reported in Seville, Barcelona and Pamplona, with additional disruptions in Valencia. Metro services in Madrid and Barcelona were suspended, forcing passengers to evacuate trains and walk along the tracks, according to footage circulating online. Telephone lines were reportedly down across much of Spain, and Madrid\u2019s main airport was left without power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hundreds of people stood outside office buildings on Madrid\u2019s streets and there was a heavy police presence around key buildings, directing traffic and patrolling central atriums with lights, according to Reuters, citing witnesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A major tennis tournament in Madrid has been suspended due to the blackout. Spain\u2019s Channel 6 television has continued broadcasting in darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Portugal and parts of southern France also reported network failures, according to local media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spain\u2019s national grid operator said a \u201cmajor incident\u201d in the energy transmission system may have caused the blackout. Power companies stated they were working to restore services as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Portuguese grid operator, Redes Energeticas Nacionais (REN), has said a \u201crare atmospheric phenomenon\u201d over Spain, triggered by \u201cextreme temperature variations,\u201d may have caused the massive blackout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
REN added it is still too early to determine when power will be fully restored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt this time, it is still impossible to predict when the situation will be normalized,\u201d it said in a statement, adding that it had \u201call resources deployed\u201d to resolve the outage, according to AFP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The president of Madrid\u2019s regional government, Isabel Diaz Ayuso asked Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to authorize the use of the army if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe ask the national government to activate Plan 3 so that the Army can maintain order, if necessary,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sanchez has made an emergency trip to the headquarters of Red Electrica, the national grid operator, as officials work to resolve the outage quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking at a news conference, Red Electrica CEO Eduardo Prieto said the operation to restore power could take \u201cbetween six and ten hours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senior European Commission Vice-President Teresa Ribera told Spanish Radio 5 that there was no evidence so far that the blackout was caused by a deliberate act such as sabotage or a cyberattack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n