Spain and Portugal experienced a widespread power outage on Monday, leaving millions without electricity in a snap blackout.
Euronews reporter Jeremy Wilks is on the ground at Porto Airport, said that the power outage across the country has already delayed multiple flights and shut down operations.
“I’d say the situation is calm but confused as people wait for more information,” Wilks reported.
In Portugal, official sources told domestic media that the outage, which hit around late morning local time, was nationwide, while similar reports emerged from Spain.
The European Commission issued a statement on Monday afternoon, saying it was “in contact with the national authorities of Spain and Portugal as well as (European electricity transmission system operators’ network) ENTSO-E to understand the underlying cause and the impact of the situation.”
“As per EU legislation in place … there are protocols in place to restore the functioning of the system,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, Euronews’ Meabh McMahon is at the European People’s Party congress in Valencia, and she said there was confusion when the blackout hit, with none of the officials she asked able to give her any information.
“I spoke to some security men, they had no idea. One alluded to the fact that this did happen this time last year and it took between six and nine hours to resolve the situation but now people are being told to stay at home so there’s not chaos on the streets,” she explained.
“Many people are stuck in precarious situations, many stuck in lifts. The networks have been down, phones are not working, WiFi is not working, machines are not working, you can’t buy anything, cafes have shut down. It’s a very strange period.”
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