On April 28, 2025, the Iberian Peninsula went dark. It wasn't gradual, or neighborhood by neighborhood. It was a single event. And it happened in a matter of seconds…
By David Sussin
Not long after one of the biggest blackouts in European history, there's no official explanation for the cause.
It's early for a comprehensive report. But you'd think by now, Government officials would have some idea what happened; a power plant failed, a computer glitched, something.
By comparison, we knew the cause of the massive 2006 European blackout that affected 100 million people across 15 countries within 48 hours of the event. (It was triggered when a high voltage line in Germany was shut down to let a ship pass).
For now, in lieu of explanations, the public has been subjected to an onslaught of theories, all dismissed by officials.
What is not disputed is on April 28, 2025, the Iberian Peninsula went dark. It wasn't gradual, or neighborhood by neighborhood. It was a single event. And it happened in a matter of seconds. Electricity generation in Spain, Italy, and parts of France fell from 32 gigawatts to 14.
Suddenly, public trains stopped. Thousands were stranded on the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed line. Airports cancelled flights. Hospitals switched to backup generators. Stores shut down. Cash machines went dark. Cell phones stopped working. Water became scarce in areas that relied on pumps. And gas stations became inoperable. 60 million people were brought to a standstill.
This wasn't some technical glitch. The event was grid-wide, at a systemic-level. The Spanish government declared a national emergency. Military units were deployed to maintain public safety.
Fortunately, by late evening, power was largely restored. The chaos from the sudden loss of power was only experienced for a few frightening hours. But the question remained: what the heck just happened?