Portugal and Spain rule out cyberattack as cause of major power outage

Shafaq News/ Authorities in both Portugal and Spain have ruled out a cyberattack as the cause of the widespread power outage that disrupted large parts of the Iberian Peninsula over the weekend, while investigations continue into the exact source of the failure.

Officials from both governments have pointed to a likely fault in Spain’s power transmission network as the source of the disruption, which left thousands without electricity and impacted critical infrastructure.

Speaking to CNN Portugal, Portuguese government spokesman Antonio Leitão Amaro said, “We have no information related to a cyberattack or a hostile act at this stage,” adding that early findings suggest a technical issue linked to the Spanish grid.

Portugal’s Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, also confirmed there was “no indication” of a cyberattack behind the blackout.

Spain’s national electricity operator, Red Eléctrica de España (REE), stated that a cyberattack was not responsible for the outage. The Spanish government, however, has said it is continuing to evaluate all possible scenarios.

Despite reassurances, Spain’s High Court has opened an investigation to explore whether the incident could have involved criminal activity, including a possible cyberattack. Judge José Luis Calama, in a court filing, noted that such an attack—if confirmed—would be classified as terrorism under Spanish law.

The outage caused temporary disruptions in major cities across both countries and raised concerns over the resilience of regional infrastructure.