An unprecedented blackout plunged much of Spain and Portugal into darkness on Monday (April 28), stranding thousands of train passengers and leaving approximately 55 million people without light.
“We have never had a complete collapse of the system,” said Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, explaining that the nation’s power grid lost 15 gigawatts—the equivalent of 60% of its national demand—in five seconds.
REN, Portugal’s electricity and gas supplier, said that power had been restored to all of its substations by late Monday. Spain had recovered more than 92% of its power by 5 am on Tuesday.
The cause of the outage remains under investigation.
The Portuguese government stated it had “no information related to a cyber attack.” E-Redes, Portugal’s national energy supplier, cited an unspecified “problem in the European electricity grid.”
Spain’s national power company, Red Eléctrica, ruled out a cyberattack or meteorological causes, and said that a human mistake was unlikely.
As always, people tried to look on the bright side and saw the crisis as an opportunity for humor—using their precious and limited mobile data to create memes. Here are some of the most viral ones.
#1 “What time does the f**king power come back on? I've been trapped here since 4 o'clock”
Social media user @Jimbo4xL was on the escalator when the blackout occurred.
He later posted photos from the same angle, joking to his followers that he was patiently waiting for the power to return so he could reach the next floor.
"I'm starting to have an anxiety attack," he wrote in his final update.
He later posted photos from the same angle, joking to his followers that he was patiently waiting for the power to return so he could reach the next floor.
"I'm starting to have an anxiety attack," he wrote in his final update.
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47points
#2 “Europeans before and after widespread power outages”
“Can't say that's wrong” and “I can confirm” are two of the reactions to this “European vs. non-European way of living” meme.
A separate user clarified: “Slight correction- The coffee would turn to a little wine.....or a nice demi beer.”
A separate user clarified: “Slight correction- The coffee would turn to a little wine.....or a nice demi beer.”
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27points
#3 “How I'll tell my grandchildren I survived the blackout / What I’m really doing”
Having no power can be the push we need to finally leave the house and escape from social media and other distractions that monopolize our attention.
Alternatively, we could lie in bed, put on a face mask, and wait.
Alternatively, we could lie in bed, put on a face mask, and wait.
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22points
#4 “Average Iberian reaction:”
Social media is full of videos showing the streets of Spain filled with people enjoying coffee outdoors, playing board games, and even improvising a music festival in the street.
"That's how life would be if they removed the cell phone signal in the afternoon," one user commented.
"Cut it more often to see if we can save a couple of generations," said another.
"That's how life would be if they removed the cell phone signal in the afternoon," one user commented.
"Cut it more often to see if we can save a couple of generations," said another.
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20points
#5 “10 hours without electricity: food is starting to run out”
Some people began to see their pets in a very different light during the blackout—like this poor kitten being chased with a fork by its desperate owner.
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19points
#6 “A team of specialists is already working to restore power”
How many Pikachus does it take to fix a widespread power outage? We're not sure, but we're guessing it’s more than the few shown in this picture.
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17points
#7 “A blackout happens. The Spanish, two seconds later:”
Since you never know how long a blackout will last, it’s important to be prepared.
Some people become so panicked that they decide to stock up on toilet paper, just in case.
Some people become so panicked that they decide to stock up on toilet paper, just in case.
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15points
#8 Latin America vs. Europe
Power outages are not uncommon across Latin America. So, when fellow Spanish speakers faced the same situation across the pond, some netizens couldn’t help but draw comparisons.
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14points
#9 “The Europe leaders rn #blackout”
Experts are still investigating the cause of the blackout. Spain’s Pedro Sánchez said the government will consider all possible hypotheses.
The European Commission will reportedly initiate a "thorough investigation" of the power outages in Spain and Portugal, announced the European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jorgensen.
Jorgensen described the blackout as the "most severe for almost two decades in Europe.”
The European Commission will reportedly initiate a "thorough investigation" of the power outages in Spain and Portugal, announced the European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jorgensen.
Jorgensen described the blackout as the "most severe for almost two decades in Europe.”
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12points
#10 “Me charging my phone on the company computer”
Having only 30% battery is not a bright idea, and those in Spain and Portugal felt the consequences.
If you’re not someone who keeps their phone charged, you should at least remember to charge your laptop so you can use it as a backup power source, just in case—like this person.
If you’re not someone who keeps their phone charged, you should at least remember to charge your laptop so you can use it as a backup power source, just in case—like this person.
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12points
#11 “The most Portuguese reaction ever”
In Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, residents of a neighborhood clapped upon seeing that their power had been restored.
“The most Portuguese reaction ever is to clap and cheer for every little thing and I love that for us,” one user wrote over the video.
Will David, a Briton living in Lisbon, said the power cut happened while he was mid-haircut at the barber, the BBC reported. The barber finished the cut with scissors instead of an electric razor and left him looking "halfway presentable.”
“The most Portuguese reaction ever is to clap and cheer for every little thing and I love that for us,” one user wrote over the video.
Will David, a Briton living in Lisbon, said the power cut happened while he was mid-haircut at the barber, the BBC reported. The barber finished the cut with scissors instead of an electric razor and left him looking "halfway presentable.”
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12points
#12 “The chicken breasts in my fridge defrosting due to the blackout”
As soon as the power went out at home, many people turned their thoughts to their meal prep.
To illustrate this, one user shared a photo of Pablo Motos, one of the most well-known TV presenters in Spain.
To illustrate this, one user shared a photo of Pablo Motos, one of the most well-known TV presenters in Spain.
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10points
#13 “About to go mad”
Some people initially panicked at the thought of their food spoiling in the fridge or not being able to use the subway. Others, however, saw the power cut as the perfect time to scroll through X.
One user captioned their post: “Me liking blackout memes / Me, half an hour ago, about to lose my mind.”
One user captioned their post: “Me liking blackout memes / Me, half an hour ago, about to lose my mind.”
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9points
#14 “Lord Voldemort is back”
The user who shared this post captioned the image of the Harry Potter villain detailing a logical sequence of events.
Inevitably, it ended with Lord Voldemort coming for us all.
Inevitably, it ended with Lord Voldemort coming for us all.
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8points
#15 The moment it happened
The Madrid Open tennis tournament was temporarily suspended after a power outage. The power went out at 12:34 p.m. local time, halting two ATP singles matches and one doubles match that were underway.
A viral video shows American tennis player Coco Gauff giving a post-match interview after beating Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-2, when the screen behind her went dark and her microphone ceased to function.
A viral video shows American tennis player Coco Gauff giving a post-match interview after beating Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-2, when the screen behind her went dark and her microphone ceased to function.
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6points