Live updates: Spain, Portugal, France hit with major power outages, slowing down travel
NBCAPR 24
Power Returns After Blackout Paralyzes Spain, Portugal
Above: People exit subway cars at the Baixo-Chiado station in Lisbon, Portugal on April 28, 2025. Image copyright: Anderson Coelho/Contributor/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
The recent blackout on the Iberian Peninsula revealed significant weaknesses in our modern infrastructure, which depends heavily on interconnected power grids. This massive failure shows how quickly essential services can break down when electricity is lost, leaving millions without transportation, communication, and access to basic necessities. The incident underscores the urgent need for more resilient backup systems and improved grid stability to prevent cascading failures across interconnected European networks.
Narrative B
The blackout may be directly linked to Spain's rapid transition to renewable energy sources, which now account for 56% of electricity generation. This high reliance on intermittent power sources, like wind and solar, creates inherent instability in the grid, making it more vulnerable to frequency fluctuations and less resilient to sudden changes. Traditional power plants, with their spinning turbines, provide natural inertia that helps stabilize the grid — something that is increasingly lacking in systems heavily reliant on renewables.