The power outages in Spain and Portugal are still a mystery, but the leaders pledge to solve it and prevent repetition

The Spain government has established a special committee to find out its cause Huge power outage Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Tuesday, stressing that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has not been excluded, stressing that no possible reasons have been excluded. He also joined the broader European Union in the pledge that everything necessary will be done to prevent the frequency of the electricity network, which places most of the Iberian Peninsula – which consists of Spain and the neighboring Portugal – to stop and leave people in the dark until Tuesday morning.

“All necessary measures will be taken to ensure that this does not happen again,” Sanchez said during a press conference in Madrid.

The power cut in energy, which is still uncomplicated on Monday, was the strongest that struck Spain and Portugal, with a population of about 60 million. According to Associated Press, he saw nearly 49 million people in Spain to generate energy in their country by about 15 gigawatts-about 60 % of demand in the actual model time in the country-within only five seconds, starting from noon on Monday.

The Spanish Energy Distributor, Red Eléctrica, said early on Tuesday that about 99 % of its energy capacity had been restored, after many residents of the capital of Spain Madrid and Sponone went in Portugal adjacent to sleep in complete darkness.

The offices were closed on the Iberian Peninsula and left traffic on chaos on Monday. Airports, along with trains and metro systems, stopped, ATMs stopped working, and many mobile networks decreased. The generators that are powered by gas and radio devices that operate with batteries from shelves.

What caused the power outage in Spain and Portugal?

Sanchez said on Monday that a problem with the broader European network, which was called “strong fluctuation”, was behind the power outage, but that was not confirmed or clarified by the Spanish leader or electricity providers in the country, and officials then asked people to refrain from speculation, which confirms that nothing was excluded. On Tuesday, Sanchez excluded one potential case, saying that there was no lack of nuclear power generation ability on Monday. About 20 % of Spain’s strength comes from nuclear plants.

Ren, the national electricity network operator in Portugal, said on Monday that there was a rare phenomenon in the atmosphere in Spain, which was installed on the differences of maximum temperatures, but this interpretation was also not confirmed, and on Tuesday, the Meteorological Agency in Spain said it had not discovered any “unusual phenomenon or in the air phenomenon.”

Eduardo Britto, who is responsible for the operations of Spain, Redcraka, said on Monday that although the reason remained unclear, the power outage was unprecedented, “exceptional and unusual.”

The company said on Monday that there was no indication of an electronic attack that causes power outages, but Sanchez said the next day that a separate investigation would continue to consider this possibility.

Antonio Costa, President of the European Union European Council, He said on Tuesday There were no indications of any electronic attack. ”It seems that his colleague Theresa Ribera, one of the vice presidents of the European Commission, seems to be a sabotage, but she described the blackout, one of the most dangerous episodes in Europe recently.

The power outage was the second to hit Europe within a little more than a month. Heathrow Airport in London, one of the busiest centers in Europe, Closed For most March 20, after a local power station rose in fire. The cause of that fire is still under investigation, but the capital police in London said it does not seem suspicious.

While any officials suggested that the fire in London or obscuring the Iberian Peninsula was the result of brave activity, both of them came amid increasing concern about the Russian sabotage targeting Western European countries that support Ukraine.

One of the sources familiar with the matter confirmed to CBS News in early November that American and European law enforcement agencies were working together To investigate Whether the incendiary devices that exploded in July 2024 at the DHL Logistics centers in Germany and Britain were part of the biggest The operation by Russian Military Intelligence Agencies, senior officials in the government of Russia, or by external individuals who are acting in the interest of Russia.

There were also many incidents Under sea cablesOften, energy or wireless communication or communication data is cut off or disabled in recent years, often after the Russian or Chinese ships associated in the region have been.

European officials said that such alleged sabotage actions are part of the Russian “hybrid war” against the supporters of Ukraine and its democratic opponents in the West.

Jovita Nilubchin, European Union Ambassador to the United States, Tell CBS News “60 minutes” In November, Russian sabotage, along with the assassination of political enemies not only in Russia, but On European soilIt was part of President Vladimir Putin’s attempt to challenge “the matter, the stability of Europe, and the test” the will of the continent and its ability to respond to such operations.

“All of these sabotage, Internet, or attacks on critical infrastructure actually occur in the territory of the European Union and NATO. They are testing how much they can …”.