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Spain Power Outage:  A rare atmospheric phenomenon called "induced atmospheric vibration" has been identified as the likely explanation for a massive blackout that left large parts of Spain, Portugal, and southern France in the dark on Monday, April 28. The unexpected power outage paralyzed everyday life for more than 50 million people in the Iberian Peninsula.

According to preliminary findings from power grid operators, the disturbance was triggered by extreme temperature fluctuations in the interior regions of Spain, which led to “anomalous oscillations” in the high-voltage transmission lines, particularly the 400kV systems. This triggered widespread synchronization failures across the European electricity network, causing cascading outages across multiple countries.

Spain, Portugal Experience Power Outage

The sudden power cut caused train services to be disrupted, flights to be grounded, metros to stop, and supply was also disrupted to crucial government and commercial buildings. Even the national Parliament in Madrid lost power, and the Madrid Open tennis match was suspended. Airports in both Madrid and Lisbon operated on emergency generators, resulting in severe flight delays. ATMs, telephone lines, and traffic lights went out, resulting in confusion and panic in various urban centers.

Renfe, Spain's state-run rail system, said there was a total disruption of the country's power grid at about 12:30 pm local time. Citizens in urban centers like Barcelona were seen manually directing traffic flow, with retail outlets offering backup generators for electricity sold out within hours.

Restoration Progresses; Full Stabilization To Take Days

Spanish system operator Red Eléctrica reported that 99.95% of demand had been restored, although full recovery may take some days as the grid disturbance was complex. Portuguese operator REN reported all substations on the national grid transmission network were back in service and the grid had been "perfectly stabilised". In Portugal, more than 6.2 million of the 6.5 million homes had their electricity restored by evening. Emergency responders, hospitals, and critical infrastructure maintained operations via backup generators during the blackout.

Spain mayor meet

Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida in CISEM meet | Credit: X

Experts Describe 'Induced Atmospheric Vibration'

AccuWeather meteorologist Dan DePodwin told USA Today that induced atmospheric vibration is a very rare event and is usually caused by rapid changes in temperature or wind speed. These atmospheric conditions can impact high-voltage transmission lines, making them vibrate and destabilise the grid. This can occur anywhere there are high-voltage wires, including the United States," DePodwin cautioned. He further explained that extended severe temperatures or unexpected weather changes may enhance the probability of such incidents.

Portuguese energy company REN suggested that "due to extreme temperature variations in the interior of Spain, there were anomalous oscillations in the very high voltage lines (400 KV), a phenomenon known as 'induced atmospheric vibration,'" as reported by the BBC. Both Spanish and Portuguese governments dismissed any proof of a cyberattack. Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, summoned an emergency National Security Council meeting and made a visit to the Red Eléctrica operations center to keep watch on the situation. Portugal's Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, reassured the people that all security measures required were in place. Although the precise reason is still being investigated, officials throughout Europe are now considering preventive measures to protect the continent's highly interconnected power system from infrequent but intense environmental disturbances.

Also read: Power Outage In Europe: Spain, France, Portugal Face Severe Travel Chaos, Mobile Network Failures, Payment Disruptions