At 12:33 p.m., Spain experienced a sudden loss of 15 gigawatts of electricity—60 percent of national consumption—lasting five seconds. This massive power outage destabilized the Spanish grid, causing a disconnect from the European system and a subsequent network collapse at 12:38 p.m., impacting various sectors. The incident, unprecedented in scale, affected transport, hospitals, and payment systems. Investigations are underway by national cybersecurity agencies to determine if a cyberattack was responsible, amid speculation fueled by Spain’s geopolitical stances.
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Spain declared a state of emergency following a nationwide power blackout, plunging the country into darkness and highlighting the fragility of its interconnected systems. The event, which affected millions, unfolded rapidly; within a mere three hours, supermarkets were overwhelmed by panic-buying shoppers, forced to close their doors soon after as they ran out of cash registers and payment systems failed. Credit card transactions became impossible, leaving citizens reliant on the dwindling supplies of physical currency, a scarcity exacerbated by the inability to withdraw money from ATMs.
This widespread disruption quickly revealed stark inequalities. While larger supermarkets struggled, smaller, independent Chinese convenience stores remained open, capitalizing on the emergency by stocking necessities like batteries and lanterns.… Continue reading
A widespread power outage has crippled large swaths of Spain and Portugal, affecting major cities like Madrid and Lisbon. The outage caused widespread disruption, including evacuations of Madrid’s metro system, suspended tennis matches at the Madrid Open, and significant transportation issues. The Spanish government convened a crisis meeting, while Portuguese officials suggest the problem originated from a Spanish distribution network issue. The incident also briefly impacted France’s power grid.
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John Q. Hosedrinker 
Matt Underwood