Europe03 October, 20252 min read
Experts Confirm Unprecedented Power Surge Caused Iberian Blackout, Root Cause Remains Unknown
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An unprecedented power surge caused the Iberian blackout affecting Spain and Portugal. The blackout resulted from a cascading surge event starting in southern Spain.
8 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Azerbaijan Bars Hijab in Schools, Sparking Protests in Baku and Arrests →
2025 European Power Blackout
In April 2025, a massive power surge led to a widespread blackout across Spain, Portugal, and parts of southwestern France. This event marked the most severe blackout in Europe in the past two decades. The Peninsula Qatar reports that an expert panel led by Damian Cortinas, president of the electricity grid operators association ENTSO-E, identified "cascading overvoltages" as the cause.
“In April 2025, a massive power surge caused widespread blackouts across Spain, Portugal, and parts of southwestern France, marking the most severe blackout in Europe in the past 20 years.”
This phenomenon was unprecedented in Europe and possibly worldwide. The blackout disrupted internet and phone services, halted trains, shut down businesses, and plunged cities into darkness.
Experts are still analyzing the event to fully understand its causes and implications. A final report is expected in early 2026.
Investigation of Power Blackout
The expert panel, consisting of 45 members from transmission system operators and European regulatory authorities, is conducting a thorough investigation to determine the root cause of the blackout. Diari ARA highlights that the report is based on extensive data from generating units and aims to provide a technical and objective explanation of the event without assigning blame.
Meanwhile, Yen News reports that data collection was challenging due to some third parties not consenting to share information, delaying the investigation. The final report, which will include a root cause analysis and recommendations, is expected in early 2026.
Causes of Spain-France Blackout
The blackout was characterized by two episodes of power, voltage, and frequency oscillations. Operators attempted to mitigate these issues by reducing power exports from Spain to France. Yen News reports that these measures inadvertently increased voltage in the system.
“While some nuclear energy advocates blamed renewable energy instability, Spanish grid operator REE's head suggested that conventional energy producers had voltage control thresholds set too low.”
This increase led to losses at wind and solar plants and a chain disconnection of power generation centers, causing voltage spikes. Some nuclear energy advocates blamed instability in renewable energy sources for the blackout.
However, the Spanish grid operator REE's head suggested that conventional energy producers had voltage control thresholds set too low. Spain’s Ecological Transition Minister also criticized REE for insufficient voltage control capacity on the day of the blackout.
European Power System Analysis
The European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) has released its initial findings, emphasizing the need to enhance the resilience of the European power system. Enlit World reports that ENTSO-E identified several key technical areas requiring further investigation, including voltage management and grid user behavior. Gulf Stream Blues notes that the preliminary report ruled out excessive use of renewable energy and a Russian cyberattack as causes.
EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen described the event as unprecedented without definitively dismissing those causes. This highlights the complexity and uncertainty surrounding the blackout's root cause.
