Re: "Gavin Newsom Fever," "Exceptional" power outage in Spain and Portugal affects millions of people

On 28 Apr 2025, Green Morons <[email protected]> posted some
news:[email protected]: 

> BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — An unprecedented blackout brought much of
> Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday, stopping trains, cutting
> phone service and shutting down traffic lights and ATMs for millions
> of people across the Iberian Peninsula. 
> 
> Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica declined to speculate on the
> cause of the power outage that began around 12:30 p.m. Madrid time and
> said restoring power fully could take six to 10 hours. Head of
> operations Eduardo Prieto told journalists it was unprecedented,
> calling the event “exceptional and extraordinary.” By 8:35 p.m.,
> only 35% of energy demand had been restored, Prieto said hours later. 
> 
> Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said a “strong
> oscillation” in the European grid was behind the outage but the
> cause was still being determined. He asked the public to refrain from
> speculation, and urged people to call emergency services only if
> really necessary. 
> 
> It was the second serious European power outage in less than six weeks
> after a March 20 fire shut down Heathrow Airport in the U.K., and it
> came as authorities across Europe gird against sabotage backed by
> Russia. 
> 
> The Portuguese National Cybersecurity Center in a statement said there
> was no sign the outage was due to a cyberattack. Teresa Ribera,
> European Commission executive vice president in charge of promoting
> clean energy, indicated the same to journalists in Brussels and called
> the power outage “one of the most serious episodes recorded in
> Europe in recent times.” 
> 
> Spanish and Portuguese capitals affected
> 
> The outage began after midday. Offices closed and traffic was snarled
> in major cities. In Barcelona civilians directed traffic. Train
> services in both countries stopped, leaving tens of thousands of
> passengers stranded. It wouldn’t be possible to restart trains later
> Monday even if the power returned, Spain’s Transportation Minister
> Oscar Puente posted on social media. 
> 
> The subway systems shut down. “I don’t know how I am going to get
> home,” said Barcelona resident Ivette Corona as she watched a large
> group of people fail to get on a bus that briefly stopped to squeeze
> in a couple of passengers. 
> 
> In Madrid, hundreds of people at a bus stop that takes travelers to
> the airport were trying to hitch-hike. Some held improvised signs to
> convince drivers to take them. 
> 
> “I’ve been here for almost three hours, trying to get someone to
> take me to the airport because my family arrived today and I can’t
> talk to them. This is terrifying,” said Jessica Fernandez, one of
> the many people at the bus stop. 
> 
> Hospitals and other emergency services switched to generators. Among
> those most affected were homebound patients dependent on oxygen
> machines. Gas stations stopped working. 
> 
> It was not possible to make calls or send text messages on most mobile
> phone networks, though some people managed to connect on certain
> messaging apps with intermittent data connections. People searched
> stores for battery-powered radios to stay informed. 
> 
> It is rare to have such a widespread outage across the Iberian
> Peninsula, with a combined population of about 60 million people.
> Spain’s Canary Islands, Balearic Islands and the territories of
> Ceuta and Melilla, located across the Mediterranean in Africa, were
> not affected. 
> 
> Spain’s prime minister convened an extraordinary meeting of the
> National Security Council. Four regions of Spain declared an emergency
> and asked the central government in Madrid to take over management of
> the crisis. The Portuguese Cabinet convened an emergency meeting at
> the prime minister’s residence. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis
> Montenegro said he had spoken several times to Sánchez and expected
> power to be restored by the end of the day. 
> 
> Portugal’s government said the outage appeared to stem from problems
> outside the country, an official told national news agency Lusa. 
> 
> Electricity was being pulled from Morocco and France to restore power
> to southern and northern Spain, Spain’s prime minister said,
> thanking their governments. Spain was also increasing the production
> from hydroelectric and combined cycle thermal power plants. 
> 
> Airports working on backup systems
> A graph on Spain’s electricity network website showing demand across
> the country indicated a steep drop around 12:30 p.m. from 27,500
> megawatts to near 15,000 megawatts. 
> 
> Spanish airports were operating on backup electrical systems and some
> flights were delayed, according to Aena, which runs 56 airports in
> Spain, including Madrid and Barcelona. 
> 
> In Lisbon, terminals closed and tourists sat outside waiting for news
> about flights. 
> 
> “We haven’t seen any plane arriving or departing in the 50 minutes
> we’ve been waiting here,” Dutch tourist Marc Brandsma told The
> Associated Press. 
> 
> The Spanish Parliament in Madrid closed. Play at the Madrid Open
> tennis tournament was suspended. 
> 
> Some took advantage of the lack of connectivity to enjoy the sunshine
> on restaurant terraces, parks and beaches. Barcelona’s streets
> filled with throngs of people milling in front of darkened stores and
> exchanging information. 
> 
> “We are lucky. Some people got trapped in the metro. And there is a
> positive side: We are talking more with each other,” said Monste
> Cortés in Barcelona. She said dinner would be sliced bread and cold
> cuts. 
> 
> The owner of a popular ice-cream shop in Madrid began giving ice cream
> away to people passing by. “After about two hours that the power
> went out, I realized that the ice cream would start going bad,” said
> owner Mario Solares. He said he estimated his losses at about 3,000
> euros. “Hopefully we can recover some of this money with the
> insurance or some other way, we’ll see,” Solares added. 
> 
> The hunt for connectivity
> As hours passed, so did the concern of those unable to reach loved
> ones. Authorities in Barcelona have set up shelters for those unable
> to return home to spend the night. 
> 
> Rubén Elvira, his wife and two daughters joked with friends on
> parting that they would have to “write letters” to communicate. 
> 
> In Terrassa, an industrial town 50 kilometers (30 miles) from
> Barcelona, stores selling generators were out of stock. 
> 
> Portugal’s National Authority for Emergencies and Civil Protection
> said backup power systems were operating. 
> 
> In Portugal, a country of some 10.6 million people, police placed more
> officers on duty to cope with increased requests for help, including
> from people trapped in elevators. 
> 
> Several Lisbon subway cars were evacuated, reports said. Courts
> stopped work and ATMs and electronic payment systems were affected. 
> 
> https://apnews.com/article/spain-portugal-power-outage-electricity-b0c5
> fb ca49b8422248c4f933e20303b3

56% of Spain's energy is renewable.