The power outage left much of Spain and Portugal without power.
Metro and rail services are suspended, telephones are down and traffic lights and ATMs are not functioning for many of the 50 million people living on the Iberian Peninsula.
Spanish energy company Red Electrica said it could take six to 10 hours for power to be fully restored in the country and neighboring Portugal. Power was gradually being restored in the north, south and west of the peninsula by midday, the company said.
The company declined to comment on the reasons for the widespread outage. Portugal's National Cybersecurity Centre issued a statement saying there was no indication the outage was due to a cyberattack.
Eduardo Prieto, head of operations at Red Electrica, told reporters that this was an unprecedented case, calling it “exceptional and extraordinary.”
The shutdown affected all of Spain and Portugal, including the capitals Madrid and Lisbon. Offices were closed and traffic was paralyzed by broken traffic lights. Some mobile phone networks were unavailable for calls, although some apps worked.
In Barcelona, residents searched stores for battery-powered radios, while civilians directed traffic at intersections on the Gran Via avenue that runs through the city.
The combined population of these countries exceeds 50 million. It is not yet clear how many people were affected. Such large-scale power outages are rare on the Iberian Peninsula.
Authorities said the cause of the outage had not yet been determined, although one Portuguese official said the problem was likely related to Spain's electricity distribution network.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called an emergency meeting of Spain's National Security Council and visited Red Electrica to monitor the restoration of power. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said he had spoken with Mr Sanchez several times and expected power to be restored by the end of the day.
The Portuguese cabinet held an emergency meeting at the prime minister's residence.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
