Spain and Portugal declare states of emergency after power outage

The governments of Spain and Portugal have declared states of emergency following today’s massive power outage, as grid operators struggled to restore electricity supplies across both countries by nightfall.

Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska declared a state of emergency in the regions of Andalusia, Extremadura, Murcia, La Rioja and Madrid.

After a late-night cabinet meeting, Portugal declared an energy crisis situation.

“We have learnt of a general blackout in the electricity grid, which originated outside our territory, most probably in Spain,” Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said in a televised address.

Montenegro said a government crisis office had been set up to manage the “unprecedented” situation and called on citizens to reduce their energy consumption while authorities work to restore power fully.