Monday, April 28, 2025, 12:30 p.m. – Normality. 12:31 p.m. – Normality. 12:32 p.m. – Massive power outage. In just three minutes, Spain was completely transformed and experienced a historic collapse. A sudden power outage shook the country and brought it to a standstill. This massive disruption to the power supply on the Iberian Peninsula meant that, although some regions began to restore power hours later, normality has not yet returned nationwide. Uncertainty about the causes of the incident remains.
In his statements following the incident, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez acknowledged that the exact causes of this unprecedented “energy zero” are still unclear. He emphasized that “all hypotheses remain open” and urged “not to speculate.” Investigations to clarify what happened are ongoing. In the meantime, there is both confirmed information and uncertainty about this moment of absolute chaos.
How did it start?
The blackout was triggered by “a very strong oscillation in the power flows,” as the president explained. Within just five seconds, 15,000 MW of generated energy suddenly disappeared, corresponding to 60% of the electricity consumed at the time, according to sources at Red Eléctrica. “This is something that has never happened before,” said Sánchez. This significant loss of power generation led to the collapse.
What caused the outage?
There is currently no official explanation for the causes of the blackout. In his second address of the day, Sánchez pointed out that no hypothesis had been ruled out and that analysts had so far been unable to determine the trigger for this “disappearance” of megawatts.
Was it due to a strange atmospheric phenomenon?
A theory from Portugal that was initially considered seemed to be quickly dismissed. The Portuguese energy generator Redes Energéticas Nacionais reported in the early afternoon that an unusual meteorological phenomenon in Spain could be responsible for the power outage – specifically, it referred to an “atmospheric phenomenon induced by vibrations.” Shortly thereafter, however, sources at the same agency denied this information.
What is an induced atmospheric oscillation?
An induced atmospheric oscillation is a rare phenomenon in which vibrations occur in the Earth’s atmosphere that are not caused by typical meteorological processes such as wind or temperature differences. Instead, these oscillations are “induced” by external influences or events.
Although the exact mechanisms of such induced atmospheric oscillations are not yet fully understood, the following factors could play a role:
Geomagnetic disturbances: Solar activity or other space weather events can affect the Earth’s magnetic field and potentially induce atmospheric oscillations.
Seismic activity: Strong earthquakes can not only shake the ground but also trigger waves in the atmosphere.
Anthropogenic influences: In rare cases, human activities such as very powerful explosions or the operation of certain technologies could also induce atmospheric vibrations. However, this hypothesis is speculative and requires further research.
It is important to emphasize that “induced atmospheric vibration” is not an established scientific term with a clear definition. The use of this term in current news suggests that it is an unusual and unexpected atmospheric event whose exact causes and mechanisms still need to be investigated.
In general, there are several types of atmospheric vibrations, most of which are due to natural causes, such as:
Sound waves: Created by pressure fluctuations in the air.
Gravity waves: Result from buoyancy forces in the atmosphere.
Rossby waves: Large, slow-moving waves in the upper troposphere and stratosphere that significantly influence weather patterns.
Atmospheric tides: Periodic fluctuations in the atmosphere caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon.
The recently observed “induced atmospheric oscillation” appears to differ in its cause and possibly also in its characteristics from these usual atmospheric oscillations.
Was it a cyberattack?
This is one of the most widely accepted hypotheses, but has not yet been confirmed. The President of Andalusia, Juan Manuel Moreno, stated on Monday morning that, according to information from the Regional Cybersecurity Center, “it was a cyberattack.” The National Intelligence Center (CNI) had also previously responded to this possibility.
The CNI reported that it had detected “unusually high activity from North Africa” days before the blackout, intelligence sources told Servimedia. Shortly afterward, European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera stated from Brussels that “there are no signs of a boycott at the moment.” Sánchez also declined to comment further on the matter and called for speculation to be avoided. The investigation is still ongoing, and it remains unclear what caused this phenomenon.
When will normality return?
A full recovery is still pending, but the electricity companies are working hard on it. As of 5:30 p.m., power had already been restored in various areas, including Catalonia, Aragon, the Basque Country, Galicia, La Rioja, Asturias, Navarre, Castile and León, Extremadura, and Andalusia, according to Red Eléctrica. In other regions, such as Madrid, the Valencian Community, Murcia, and Castile-La Mancha, it took longer. After dark, there were still areas where electricity and internet connections had not returned.
