XPost: alt.politics.europe.misc, or.politics, sac.politics   
   XPost: talk.politics.guns, alt.global-warming   
   From: noone@nospam.com   
      
   Στις 1/5/2025 12:51 π.μ., ο/η P. Coonan έγραψε:   
   > On 28 Apr 2025, Green Morons  posted some   
   > news:4b116725d9.1745882507@kmgus.hd:   
   >   
   >> 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   
      
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