Major chaos in Europe: Millions left without electricity!

A widespread power outage that occurred on Monday in Spain and Portugal has left millions of people without electricity. The outages also affected regions of France near the Spanish border.

In Spain, the power outage directly impacted nuclear energy production. Due to safety protocols, five of the country's nuclear reactors halted production. Authorities emphasized that the internal electrical systems of the reactor buildings continue to operate.

THE OUTAGE ALSO IMPACTED TRANSPORTATION

The impact of the power outage was also felt in the transportation sector. RENFE, one of Spain's leading railway companies, announced that as of 12:30 PM, all train services in the country had been suspended. Thousands of subway passengers left without power were forced to navigate their way out of dark tunnels. The activation of emergency generators prevented the chaos from escalating further.

RENFE officials stated that no trains could move due to the outage and that no new departures could be scheduled. In a statement from the company, it was shared that developments are being closely monitored and efforts are underway to return services to normal.

A BLOW TO DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE

It was reported that the power outage also dealt a heavy blow to digital infrastructure. Internet connections in Portugal and Spain were largely cut off. According to data from NetBlocks, cable internet service is still unavailable in many regions. Spanish electricity distribution companies, however, announced that power distribution is being gradually restored in some areas.

SPANISH GOVERNMENT TAKES ACTION

Following the crisis, the Spanish government took action. According to a report by the Spanish radio station Cadena SER, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Energy headed to the headquarters of the country's national electricity operator, Red Eléctrica, to monitor developments directly on-site. The newspaper El Pais also reported that the Spanish government held an emergency meeting with Red Eléctrica.

In Portugal, authorities confirmed that the outage was nationwide. According to information from Spain, Madrid's Barajas International Airport was also left without power, and there were serious disruptions in telecommunications services.

Not only Spain and Portugal were affected by the outage, but also citizens in Andorra and regions of France near the Spanish border.

The cause of the power outage has not yet been clarified. However, local media claims that problems in electrical grids across Europe have affected national networks, particularly on the Iberian Peninsula.

News Source: 12punto