Spain and Portugal were hit by a widespread blackout, disrupting power supply across large parts of the Iberian Peninsula.
A statement on Monday by REN, Portugal’s utility firm, said the power disruption has also impacted parts of France.
“REN confirms a massive cut in electricity supply across the Iberian Peninsula, which is also affecting part of French territory, with an impact on Portugal from 11:33 am,” the company said.
“All plans for the phased restoration of energy supply are being activated, in coordination with energy producers.”
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The organisation said it was in “permanent” contact with official entities, including Portugal’s National Civil Protection Authority (NCPA).
“At the same time, the possible causes of this incident are being evaluated,” REN said.
Also, in a separate statement on Monday, Red Electrica, Spanish grid operator, said plans to restore the electricity supply have been activated, in collaboration with companies in the sector, following the power cuts.
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“We are beginning to recover power in the north and south of the peninsula, which is key to gradually meeting the electricity supply. This process involves the gradual energization of the transmission grid as the generating units are connected. We continue working to restore the supply,” Red Electrica said.
According to a Reuters report, the issue affected public transport system in the countries.
Quoting Cader Ser Radio, the Spanish radio station, the report said there were traffic jams at Madrid city centre as traffic lights stopped working.
The publication also said traffic lights were affected across the country, the metro was closed in Lisbon and Porto, Portugal, and trains were not running.
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Power outages on this scale are rare in Europe. In 2003 a problem with a hydroelectric power line between Italy and Switzerland caused a major outage across the whole Italian peninsula for around 12 hours.
