What the Iberian blackout of 28 April 2025 taught Europe

At 12:33 on Monday 28 April 2025, the electricity systems of mainland Spain and Portugal shut down within seconds. ENTSO-E, the body that links Europe's grid operators, called it the most serious incident on the European power system in over 20 years. Nobody had to flee and no bag was needed. For most households it was simply an afternoon and night without power. That is exactly why it is useful: it shows what fails first, and what a few cheap items would have fixed.

What happened to the grid

The trigger was in the grid, not in homes. ENTSO-E's expert panel, which published its final report in March 2026, found no single cause. It describes a combination of oscillations, gaps in voltage control and a run of generators disconnecting in Spain, which pushed voltage up quickly until the whole system tripped. A small area of south-west France near the border was briefly affected. The rest of Europe was not.

How long it lasted

Spain: Red Eléctrica began restoring supply through the links with France and Morocco. By around 17:00 power was coming back in regions including Catalonia, the Basque Country, Galicia and Andalusia, and by around 18:00 in Madrid, Valencia and Murcia. The transmission grid was fully back by about 04:00 on 29 April, and 99.95% of demand by 07:00.
Portugal: the transmission grid was restored by 00:22 Central European time, which is 23:22 in Lisbon. Researchers at INESC TEC put the outage across mainland Portugal at nearly ten hours. Madeira and the Azores have their own grids and were not affected.

Restoration was patchy, street by street. So for planning purposes, the honest summary is: half a day for many people, closer to 18 hours for some.

What stopped working for households

Mobile phones

Masts kept going for a while on batteries, then failed or slowed. INESC TEC notes that mobile sites in Portugal typically have two to eight hours of battery, and that operators switched to fewer, larger cells to save energy, so even with a signal bar, calls and messages often didn't get through. Portugal's regulator ANACOM later reported that the outage had a cascading effect on both mobile and fixed networks, and that access to 112 from fixed lines was heavily restricted. Home fibre and Wi-Fi routers need mains power too.

That afternoon, Spain's Prime Minister asked people to keep travel to a minimum, follow official information only, and use their phones responsibly: short calls, and 112 only when really necessary. Our post on what to do when the mobile network goes down covers this in detail.

Radio

With phones struggling and televisions off, radio carried the news. Reporters Without Borders describes neighbours in Barcelona gathering around a battery transistor or a parked car with its radio turned up, and broadcaster Cadena SER playing its studio feed into the street. Batteries and portable radios sold out in small shops. A radio bought that afternoon was a radio bought too late.

Cash and card payments

Cash machines stopped across the peninsula, and card terminals stopped with them. Shops that could open often had to take cash only, so the people who had notes at home could still buy food, water and torches. Our guide to how much cash to keep at home suggests amounts.

Trains, metro and traffic lights

Spanish emergency workers rescued about 35,000 passengers stranded on trains and underground systems. In Portugal, 93 trains were immobilised, 80 of them on metro systems. Traffic lights went out in cities, and police directed traffic at the main junctions. In Málaga, all 469 signalled junctions were working again by 13:25 the next day. Many people simply walked home, which is worth remembering when you decide what to keep at work.

Lifts, water pressure and home medical equipment

The City of Málaga's report on the day gives a clear picture of what emergency services actually did. Most of its more than one hundred call-outs were for people trapped in lifts, or for helping people up to their homes. About fifteen patients whose home ventilators had stopped were taken to hospital.

The city's water network kept running, because most of it is gravity-fed from reservoirs. But homes that depend on a building's own electric pressure pumps were left without water, and a few districts fed directly by pumps lost supply until the evening. If you live on an upper floor, a few filled containers are the difference between flushing the toilet and not. In Portugal, the national water group asked consumers to keep use to a minimum.

How the advice changed afterwards

Spain

The Interior Ministry declared an emergency of national interest in eight regions on 28 April, and lifted it on 30 April once normal service had returned. Spain still has no national household kit list that we could find. Our post on countries without an emergency kit list explains what exists instead.

Catalonia

Catalonia is the exception. In November 2025 its government launched a campaign, "Prepara't. Protegeix-te. El teu kit sempre a punt!", asking households to be self-sufficient for 72 hours. The kit it recommends includes a battery radio, a torch with spare batteries, first aid and regular medication, cards and cash, 1.5 litres of water per person per day, non-perishable food, documents, and a phone with its charger, kept near the front door.

Portugal

In June 2025, Portugal's regulators delivered reports on the blackout to the government. ANACOM recommended using cell broadcast for public alerts, extending backup power at mobile sites, and adding satellite back-up. The national civil protection authority already advised a 72-hour kit, and in 2026 the Interior Ministry said it was reviewing whether the list needs updating. Our post on Portugal's emergency kit list covers the official advice.

The European Union

The timing was striking. On 26 March 2025, a month before the blackout, the European Commission published its Preparedness Union Strategy, which asks people to keep essential supplies for a minimum of 72 hours. In October 2026 the Commission followed up with guidance for national authorities on reaching that target, which we explain in the EU's new 72-hour guidance. The Iberian blackout lasted well under 72 hours. Even so, households that had prepared for three days had nothing to worry about.

What to have for a 10 to 20 hour blackout

A blackout like this one doesn't need a stockpile. It needs a handful of things you can find in the dark.

A radio that works without mains power, with spare batteries, and your public broadcaster's frequency written on it.
A torch for each person, ideally a head torch. Afternoon turned into night for many.
A charged power bank and cable. Keep it topped up, so your phone works whenever the network comes back.
Cash in small notes and coins. Enough for a day or two of food and transport.
Drinking water, at least 2 litres per person, plus containers you can fill from the tap while there is still pressure.
Food that needs no cooking, if your hob is electric.
Phone numbers on paper, and a meeting point agreed with your family. See our family emergency plan.
A plan for medical equipment. If anyone at home relies on a ventilator or other powered device, ask the supplier about battery back-up now.
Comfortable shoes at work, in case you have to walk home.

Keep the fridge and freezer shut, unplug sensitive electronics, and leave one light switched on so you know when the power is back. Our power cut checklist covers the first hour step by step, and our checklist works out amounts for your household.