30.04.2025 09:40
The claim that the life-disrupting power outage in France, Spain, and Portugal was caused by a temperature change on Ibiza Island is found to be unconvincing, while the issue of a cyber attack remains unclear. Spain is seen as the main culprit for the outage, and the cost of the chaos to the country is currently estimated at 1 billion euros.
After extensive electricity outages, serious disruptions in the flow of life emerged in some regions of France, as well as in Spain and Portugal. The deprivation of millions of people from "access to basic modern needs," cities being plunged into darkness, traffic congestion, and the halt of public transportation created shocking images. Crisis centers were established regarding the outages, the cause of which could not be determined.
While investigations continue without ruling out the possibility of a cyber attack, Teresa Ribera, the Spanish Vice President of the EU Commission, stated that "there is nothing that requires saying there was any sabotage or cyber attack."
THE REASON OF SUDDEN TEMPERATURE CHANGE DID NOT CONVINCE
According to reports in the Spanish press, a statement from Portugal's national energy company REN suggested that the outage could have been caused by abnormal fluctuations in high voltage lines, which could be attributed to "sudden temperature changes" observed in the Iberian Peninsula. Many comments on Spanish social media regarding the company's statement included expressions mocking the justification, as well as reactions stating it was not convincing.
DAMAGE 1 BILLION EUROS
In a report by The Objective, based in Spain, it was stated that it is too early to clearly determine the losses caused by the outage, but the losses would have serious effects. It was pointed out that the loss that could occur in the business sectors directly affected by the electricity outage could be 1 billion euros, and that stocks that could suffer losses due to a lack of cooling were also highlighted.
CONTROVERSIAL STRATEGY
In the strategy announced by the EU Commission on March 26, the public was called to "stock a minimum of 72 hours of essential supplies for emergencies." High-circulation newspapers in Europe reported that the EU warned its 450 million citizens of an imminent threat. Members of far-right parties in the European Parliament accused the EU Commission of instilling fear and inciting war, with some labeling the strategy as "war hysteria."
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reportedly held a meeting regarding the electricity outages in Spain after being informed by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. While the possibility of a cyber attack was also evaluated in the investigations regarding the electricity outages, EU officials, who stated that they were closely monitoring the situation, reported that no evidence had been found in this regard.
MAIN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OUTAGE IS SPAIN
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar evaluated the electricity outages that started in Spain and affected certain regions of Portugal and France, reminding that Turkey is also connected to Europe's electricity system. Bayraktar emphasized that no clear explanation regarding the cause of the incident has yet been received from the mentioned countries, stating, "I informed the Cabinet. We are not having any issues, but it is something that could affect us. Thank God we are at the far end."
Pointing out that Spain is seen as the main responsible for the outage, Bayraktar noted, "It is said that they could not manage the excessive production of wind and solar energy when demand was low, and that the interconnection system in France cut itself off for safety. Such things are being discussed. It is a big problem, quite a large-scale issue," he assessed.
OUTAGE IN SPAIN HAS BEEN LARGELY ADDRESSED
Spain's electricity company Red Electrica reported that all transformer centers have become operational and that maintenance operations are ongoing. It was emphasized in the statement that 99.16% of Spain's electricity needs are being met, with production stated to be 21,265 megawatts. The Madrid Metro also resumed service on various lines. Meanwhile, it was noted that life has returned to normal in Belgium, which was also affected in some regions.
EVERYTHING HAPPENED IN 5 SECONDS
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated that during the electricity outage, 60% of the country's electricity needs disappeared in 5 seconds, saying, "The electricity company informed us yesterday at 12:33 that 15 gigawatts of production suddenly disappeared from the system within 5 seconds. This has never happened before. To give an idea, 15 gigawatts at that moment corresponded to about 60% of the country's needs." Reiterating that no possibility regarding the cause of the electricity outage has been ruled out, Sanchez stated that all possibilities have been analyzed. He mentioned that despite the business world being affected by the electricity outage, the financial markets and stock exchanges had a "good closing." Sanchez stated that local governments in the 8 regions of Spain with autonomous structures have requested a level 3 emergency plan, which allows them to transfer their administrations to the central government. He noted that these regions, in addition to Madrid, include Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Murcia, and Valencia.
According to the Portuguese news agency Lusa, the electricity company E-Redes announced that as of midnight, 424 transformer centers had partially become operational. The company, which reported that it provides electricity services to 6.2 million customers in the country, stated that it is unclear when the return to normalcy will occur.