On 28 April 2025, a major blackout disrupted the electricity supply across Spain and Portugal. Nicolò Rossetto, Research Fellow at the Florence School of Regulation (FSR), examines what happened, why the system collapsed, and how recovery efforts unfolded. According to reports in Spanish media, there have been at least four deaths connected to the blackout that hit the country and Portugal on Monday. While power is now largely restored, a number of questions remain unanswered. Two parents and their adult son are said to have died from carbon monoxide. Major cities, including Madrid, Barcelona, and Lisbon, were impacted by Monday's severe power outage. But a debate is growing about what caused the cuts. Are you still affected? We want to hear from you Are you in Spain or Portugal and affected by the power outage? We want to hear from. People with their luggage wait outside Humberto Delgado airport following a general electricity shutdown in Lisbon on April 28, 2025. Power went out across all of Spain and Portugal yesterday, cutting cellphone and internet networks, halting trains and trapping people in elevators, officials said.
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