Spain and France’s Vulnerability to Electricity Blackouts

On April 28, 2025, a massive power outage swept across Spain, Portugal, and parts of France, plunging millions into darkness and exposing the fragility of Western Europe’s energy grids. This unprecedented blackout, described as a “very strong oscillation in the electrical network” by Eduardo Prieto, director of Spain’s transmission system operator Red Eléctrica, disrupted critical infrastructure, halted transportation, and prompted states of emergency in Spain and Portugal.

While the exact cause remains under investigation, official statements and energy research highlight structural vulnerabilities in Spain and France’s energy systems, particularly their heavy reliance on renewables and limited grid interconnections. In contrast, Eastern European countries, where blackouts were historically common, have developed resilience that mitigates the societal impact of such disruptions. This article explores these vulnerabilities and compares them to Eastern Europe’s experience, drawing on official statements and energy supply analyses.

Spain and France: Structural Vulnerabilities in Energy Systems

Spain and France’s vulnerability to blackouts stems from their energy grid design, reliance on intermittent renewables, and limited interconnections with the broader European grid. Spain’s grid operator, Red Eléctrica, reported that the April 2025 blackout resulted from a “serious imbalance” that caused Spain’s grid to disconnect from the European system, leading to a collapse of the Iberian electricity network.

The Portuguese operator, Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN), attributed the outage to “induced atmospheric vibration” caused by extreme temperature variations in Spain, which triggered oscillations in high-voltage lines and synchronization failures across the interconnected European network. These statements point to a grid ill-equipped to handle sudden disruptions.

Spain’s energy mix heavily relies on renewables, with 56% of electricity in 2024 derived from wind and solar, according to Reuters. While this positions Spain as a green energy leader, renewables lack the inertia provided by traditional generators like gas or hydroelectric plants, which stabilize grid frequency during disturbances.

Taco Engelaar, managing director at Neara, noted that temperature-induced changes in conductor parameters can create frequency imbalances, a risk exacerbated by Spain’s renewable-heavy grid. On April 28, 2025, solar power accounted for 60% of Spain’s electricity just before the blackout, amplifying vulnerability to sudden oscillations.

France, while less affected, experienced brief outages in regions like the Basque Country. France’s grid operator, RTE, quickly restored power but highlighted the interconnected nature of the European grid, where faults in one country can cascade to others.

France relies heavily on nuclear power (about 70% of its electricity), which provides stable baseload but is less flexible for rapid response to grid imbalances compared to gas or hydro.

A 2023 ScienceDirect study on European power outages noted that cascading events, often initiated by weather or technical faults, are a major threat to modern grids, particularly those with high renewable penetration.

At around 12.30pm local time, power went out for most of Spain and Portugal, with Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona all heavily affected. By 8.30 pm power had only 35% of power had been restored, mostly in northern and southern Spain, where France and Morocco had offered extra capacity.

The Iberian Peninsula’s grid operates as an “energy island,” with limited interconnections to the rest of Europe—only 6% of its energy capacity can be drawn from or sent to the wider continent, far below the EU’s 2030 target of 15%. This isolation hindered Spain and Portugal’s ability to import stabilizing power during the crisis, despite assistance from France and Morocco.

European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera emphasized the need for more cross-border links, stating, “We are working with the utmost caution to determine the specific causes,” while dismissing sabotage as a likely cause. The European Commission also noted that it was coordinating with national authorities and ENTSO-E to restore systems, underscoring the EU’s reliance on interconnections to mitigate such crises.

Societal Impact in Spain and France

The blackout’s impact in Spain and France was severe due to their reliance on electricity for critical infrastructure and daily life. In Spain, Madrid’s Barajas International Airport closed, metro systems stalled, and traffic lights failed, causing chaos. Hospitals activated backup generators, but routine operations were suspended, and ATMs and telecommunications networks went offline. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, in a televised address, urged citizens to minimize travel and avoid speculation, noting that 15 gigawatts—60% of national demand—disappeared in five seconds, an unprecedented event. In Portugal, similar disruptions affected Lisbon’s metro and airports, with water supplies at risk due to electric pump failures.

The societal disruption was amplified by the lack of preparedness for such a widespread outage. A Telegraph report highlighted that Spain’s reliance on renewables, combined with low wind speeds on April 28, left the grid dependent on solar and aging gas plants, increasing vulnerability.

In France, while outages were brief, the interconnected grid meant that Spain’s failure had ripple effects, underscoring the need for robust backup systems. The European Commission’s call for “solidarity and unity” in restoring power reflects the scale of the challenge in highly electrified societies.

The increased penetration of renewable energies in Spain, especially solar and wind, has reduced wholesale electricity prices by 20% in the last three years and could cut them by a further 20% by 2030

Eastern Europe: Resilience Through Adaptation

In contrast, Eastern European countries like Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria, which faced frequent blackouts in the post-Soviet era, have developed resilience that mitigates the societal impact of power outages.

Historically, blackouts in Eastern Europe were common due to aging Soviet-era infrastructure, economic instability, and underinvestment in grids. A 2023 ScienceDirect study noted that national-scale outages in Eastern Europe were often triggered by weather or component failures but rarely caused widespread societal collapse due to adaptive measures.

Ukraine, for instance, has endured systematic Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure since 2022, leading to frequent blackouts. Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko offered assistance to Spain, Portugal, and France on April 28, 2025, stating, “We are ready to share the knowledge and experience, including those gained during the systematic Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure.”

Ukraine’s resilience stems from decentralized energy systems, widespread use of backup generators, and public adaptation to power cuts. Households and businesses often maintain alternative power sources, such as diesel generators or battery systems, reducing dependence on the central grid.

In Romania and Bulgaria, blackouts in the 1990s and early 2000s were common due to grid inefficiencies and coal-heavy energy mixes. However, these countries invested in grid modernization and diversified energy sources, including coal, hydro, and renewables, which provide greater inertia than Spain’s solar-heavy grid.

Eastern European societies also retain a cultural memory of outages, with communities accustomed to coping mechanisms like cash-based transactions, manual traffic management, and localized water distribution. This contrasts with Spain and France, where digital payment systems, electric pumps, and automated traffic systems failed, amplifying disruption.

Eastern Europe’s grids, while less advanced than Western Europe’s, benefit from redundancy and lower reliance on just-in-time energy delivery. For example, Poland’s coal-dominated grid (about 70% of electricity) provides stable inertia, and its interconnections with neighboring countries like Germany and Ukraine enhance stability.

The 2023 ScienceDirect study found that Eastern European grids, despite higher failure rates, experience less severe cascading effects due to simpler grid designs and lower dependence on renewables, which require sophisticated frequency management.

The April 2025 blackout revealed stark differences between Western and Eastern Europe. Spain and France’s advanced, renewable-heavy grids are vulnerable to rare but catastrophic failures due to low inertia, limited interconnections, and high societal dependence on electricity.

The outage’s impact was magnified by the failure of digital infrastructure, which Eastern European countries, with less digitized economies, can often bypass.

For instance, while Madrid’s metro evacuations and ATM failures caused panic, Eastern European cities like Kyiv or Bucharest have protocols for manual operations during outages, reflecting decades of experience.

Official statements from Spain and Portugal emphasized the unprecedented nature of the blackout, with Sánchez noting, “There has never been a drop to zero in the system before.” In contrast, Eastern European leaders rarely frame outages as existential crises, reflecting greater public and institutional resilience.

The EU’s push for more interconnections, as articulated by Commissioner Dan Jørgensen, aims to address Western Europe’s vulnerabilities, but progress is slow. Eastern Europe’s simpler grids and adaptive societies offer lessons in redundancy and preparedness, even if their infrastructure lags behind.