The Agonizing Task of Turning Europe’s Power Back On
1 min read
Summary
A power cut on 28 April plunged Spain and Portugal into darkness, with reports of people stuck in lifts and traffic jams.
While the cause of the blackout is still unknown, Spain’s electricity operator has restored power to some areas.
However, it may take a few hours to several days to restore power to all areas, with emergency services likely to be prioritised.
Engineers will attempt to restart the grid in a process known as a “black start”, where power stations are gradually reconnected to form a functioning grid, but this could take 12 to 16 hours even with a healthy grid.
One expert claimed that “induced atmospheric vibration” due to extreme temperature variations was the cause, but Spain has yet to respond to the allegation.
Spain’s president said that the cause was still unknown and urged against speculation, confirming that hospitals and air traffic had not been affected and that trains would be halted for security reasons.
This is the largest blackout in Spain for years, with Italy’s blackout in 2003 being the closest example for scale.
