Jakarta, INTI – On Monday, April 28, 2025, local time, several European countries experienced simultaneous power outages. Spain, Portugal, and parts of France were the hardest hit, causing major disruptions to public infrastructure. Homes, offices, railway transportation, and traffic systems were all paralyzed at once, prompting local governments to declare a state of emergency.
In major cities such as Madrid, Seville, Lisbon, and Barcelona, subway systems came to an abrupt halt, traffic lights went dark, and airports had to operate on backup generators. Spanish airport operator Aena reported that their facilities immediately switched to emergency power sources. Even emergency services in Madrid relied on temporary generators. In Portugal, the metro networks in Lisbon and Porto were also completely shut down.
Induced Atmospheric Vibration Identified as Primary Suspect
The primary cause of the incident is believed to be a rare atmospheric phenomenon known as induced atmospheric vibration. According to a statement from Portuguese electricity company Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN), extreme temperature fluctuations in inland Spain triggered abnormal oscillations in extra-high voltage overhead transmission lines (400 kV).
“This phenomenon caused a failure in synchronization between power systems, resulting in a cascade of disruptions across Europe’s interconnected electricity network,” REN stated in an official release, as quoted by The Guardian.
Professor Solomon Brown of the University of Sheffield explained that this phenomenon is similar to the effect of solar storms on power systems, as it induces imbalances in electricity flow. He noted that in extreme situations, grid operators must shut down the system and then restart it gradually—an extremely complex process that can take several hours.
Recovery Efforts and Denial of Cyberattack Suspicions
Spain’s national grid operator, Red Eléctrica, estimated that full recovery could take between 6 to 10 hours. However, some analysts projected that it could take up to a week to fully stabilize the European grid.
In the meantime, there were initial suspicions that the incident might be linked to a cyberattack. However, those claims were quickly dismissed. Red Eléctrica, Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, and European Council President Antonio Costa all stated that no evidence of hacking was found in relation to the incident.
Kristian Ruby, Secretary General of Eurelectric, called the event an exceptionally rare occurrence—one that might only happen once in 50 or even 100 years. He noted that a technical issue with the electrical interconnector between France and Spain caused the Spanish grid to disconnect from the European main system.
Conclusion
A rare atmospheric event, induced atmospheric vibration, is suspected to be the main cause of the widespread blackout in Europe in late April 2025. Extreme temperature variations triggered abnormal oscillations in high-voltage networks, ultimately destabilizing the interconnected European power system. While official confirmation is still pending, the incident serves as a critical reminder of the vulnerability of energy infrastructure to rare and unpredictable natural disruptions. Governments and electricity operators are now focused on recovery and evaluation efforts to prevent such an incident from recurring in the future.
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