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DEVELOPING: Gibraltar Unaffected as Power Outage Hits Spain, Portugal and France

28th April 2025, 14:16 | Published by GBC News

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DEVELOPING: Gibraltar Unaffected as Power Outage Hits Spain, Portugal and France

  • ⁠ ⁠Gib Government “closely monitoring situation”
  • ⁠ ⁠At moment Gib-Spanish border operating without delays.
  • ⁠ ⁠T⁠he frontier is free flowing as at 14.15hrs but GBC understands there is no power on the Spanish side.
  • ⁠ ⁠Power operators begin recovery in parts of Spain
  • ⁠People are being urged to avoid travelling on roads in affected areas unless necessary. Any emergencies should be reported by calling 112.
  • ⁠ ⁠⁠Spanish Government officials are in a Gabinete de Emergencia - an emergency meeting - to assess the situation. A statement is expected shortly.
  • The Chief Minister has reached out to Spanish authorities, offering to take patients into the GHA’s ITU and provide support, particularly for vulnerable groups. La Línea’s ITU is operating on generator power, and Gibraltar is on standby to help as needed.
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    In Gibraltar, the Government says it is closely monitoring the situation following the power outage that has affected large parts of Spain, Portugal and France. It says that Gibraltar’s electricity generation and distribution network is operating normally since it is not connected to the European grid system but that it continues to monitor the situation for any possible impacts on Gibraltar. 

    Spain's electricity grid operator, Red Eléctrica, confirmed nationwide outages during the afternoon. Spain’s national railway company, RENFE, reported that trains had stopped, while traffic jams built up in major cities like Madrid, where traffic lights were out of service.

    Sections of the Madrid and Barcelona underground networks were evacuated, and play was suspended at the Madrid Open tennis tournament.

    Closer to Gibraltar, power cuts were reported by many Gibraltarians enjoying the Bank Holiday in parts of the Cádiz province, including at a shopping centre in Jerez and among businesses and restaurants in Caños de Meca.

    At 13:45hrs on Monday, Red Eléctrica announced it had begun restoring power in the north and south of the country and was working to identify the cause of the outage.

    Similar problems have also been reported in parts of Portugal and France.

    UPDATE 18:35HRS : Gibraltar has offered assistance to La Línea and nearby Spanish communities following the power outage affecting large parts of Spain and Portugal.
    The Chief Minister has reached out to Spanish authorities, offering to take patients into the GHA’s ITU and provide support, particularly for vulnerable groups. La Línea’s ITU is operating on generator power, and Gibraltar is on standby to help as needed.
    Fabian Picardo said that this is a time for human solidarity, and that he has no doubt that many Gibraltarians will be reaching out to friends, family, and colleagues in Spain.

    This story is being updated.

    Pics: Area Sur shopping Mall in Jerez and a restaurant in Caños de Meca

    Frontier queues building up on Monday afternoon

    Gibraltarians returning home from the Bank Holiday break are reporting delays on the Spanish side of the frontier.

    While queues were expected due to the higher volume of traffic today, GBC understands the Spanish frontier post has also been affected by the ongoing power outage. Passport control machines and other IT systems are reported to be out of service, including equipment at the IVA office.If you are planning to travel into Spain, exercise caution. The Spanish government is advising people to avoid using roads where possible, with traffic lights and electronic signage still out of action in many areas.

    Any emergencies should be reported by calling 112.

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