ALBAWABA - A "major" power outage across the Iberian Peninsula, which also affects Spain and portions of France, was notified by Portugal's electrical utility on Monday afternoon.
It stated that "all plans to restore power supplies have been activated in stages in coordination with European energy producers and operators" and that "the possible causes of this incident are being analyzed."
The Spanish energy distribution firm, meanwhile, stated that it might take six to ten hours to get power back to a sizable portion of the nation following a broad blackout.
Parts of Portugal and Spain experienced mayhem due to the power outage, as traffic lights malfunctioned and caused congestion. As hospitals lost power and transportation networks shut down, people found themselves stuck in elevators and metros.
According to informed sources, a crisis committee was established in Spain and the governments of Portugal and Spain convened to examine the power loss, which momentarily impacted areas of France.
Due to a severe power outage that affected both Spain and Portugal, the Spanish train operator declared in a breaking news broadcast that it had suspended all train services by the evening.
Portugal's National Cyber Security Center said in a statement that there was no proof the disruption was the result of a hack. Reporters were informed by Eduardo Brito, the company's chief operational officer, that the power outage was "exceptional and unusual."
Later this afternoon, however, Portugal's Minister of Development stated that the country's power loss "may be due to a cyberattack."
The prime minister of Portugal went on to state that "nothing is ruled out, but there is no indication that the power outage is related to a cyberattack."
The power outage in Spain and Portugal affected metro networks, phone lines, traffic lights, and ATMs, including the capitals of both countries.
The Spanish prime minister convened a National Security Council meeting in the presidential palace to address the problem, according to an Al Jazeera correspondent.
According to a European Commission spokesperson, the Commission is corresponding with national authorities in Portugal and Spain to determine the reason behind the power outage.
The president of the European Commission stated that she has discussed the situation with the Spanish prime minister and that she is keeping an eye on it with national and European authorities as well as the Electricity Coordination Group.
Separately, the power failure caused difficulties and stoppages at several major European airports in France, Portugal, and Spain, according to navigation data from the Flightradar website, which specializes in tracking aviation traffic.
The Portuguese electricity company said the power loss was triggered by an unusual weather occurrence on the Spanish grid and could take a week to restore regular service. The President of the European Council said there are no signs of a hack related to the outage and that Portugal and Spain's electrical grid managers are investigating. He also said he is in touch with Portugal and Spain's prime ministers about the power outage.
