Power Outage in Iberia: REE Rules Out Cyberattack

REE, the operator of Spain's electricity grid, ruled out cyberattack as the cause of a massive power outage affecting Spain and Portugal. The blackout, the worst in the Iberian Peninsula's history, was due to power generation loss in southwestern Spain, affecting the connection with the French grid.

Spanish electricity grid operator REE has preliminarily dismissed a cyberattack as the reason behind the massive power outage that darkened most of Spain and Portugal on Monday.

The blackout, occurring at 12:33 p.m. local time, marked the worst power failure ever documented in the Iberian Peninsula, with electricity restoration delayed until the evening. REE's System Operations Chief, Eduardo Prieto, announced that a significant power generation loss in southwestern Spain destabilized the system, resulting in a severance from the French grid connection.

While solar power could potentially be involved, Prieto indicated that it was too soon to definitively attribute the issue to that source. Despite the temporary disruption, he assured that the system has stabilized and is functioning normally.

(With inputs from agencies.)