XPost: alt.politics.europe.misc, or.politics, sac.politics   
   XPost: talk.politics.guns, alt.global-warming   
   From: dipshits@greenparty.org   
      
   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   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)