"All possibilities are open": Sánchez chairs the National Security Council

BarcelonaUrgent movements of the Spanish government following the general drop in electricity throughout the Iberian PeninsulaThe Spanish government has convened a crisis cabinet, as has the Generalitat (Catalan government). Pedro Sánchez summoned the ministers to an emergency meeting, which suspended all the agendas of the various departments. He then convened the National Security Council (CSN) to investigate the causes of the blackout. The Spanish president will deliver an institutional statement from the Moncloa Palace imminently.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the head of the Spanish government held a meeting (CSN), with the presence of the three vice presidents, the ministers of the Presidency, Foreign Affairs, the Interior, Defense, Finance, Transport, Industry, Economy, Health, Digital Transformation, and Science. Also present were the chief of the Defense Staff, the director of the National Intelligence Center (CNI), and the director of the Department of National Security. Before that, Sánchez had gone to the Red Eléctrica control center, along with the third vice president and Minister for the Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen.

"All hypotheses are open," Spanish government sources told ARA, but they do not want to enter into speculation because "the causes are unknown." Sources within the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) are also cautious. One of the first hypotheses being considered is a possible cyberattack. So far, according to ARA, police investigators have found no evidence of a cyberattack. The Spanish government insists that "efforts are being made to restore services" and that "no one can speak seriously about the causes at this time." "At the moment, there is nothing that allows us to affirm that there has been any type of boycott or cyberattack," European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera also agreed from Brussels.

The cyberattack theory had initially been supported by the acting Portuguese government. "This is something on a large scale that, due to its scale, is compatible with a cyberattack," said Portuguese Deputy Minister for Territorial Concessions, Manuel Castro Almeida, in statements to RTP. Asked again about the possibility of a cyberattack, he responded that "that possibility exists, although it is not confirmed." Later, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro stated that his intelligence services are investigating and that "everything points" to the origin of the crash being in Spain.

Atmospheric induction?

According to some media reports, the Portuguese electricity company REN attributes the blackout to atmospheric induction. The cause could have been a fire in southwestern France, on Mount Alaric, which damaged a power line between Perpignan and eastern Narbonne. In any case, atmospheric induction in the electrical context refers to a phenomenon in which an electric or magnetic field generated in the atmosphere (usually due to thunderstorms, sudden load changes, or geomagnetic events) induces electric currents in infrastructure such as power lines and cables.

When there is a strong disturbance in the atmosphere (for example, a solar storm, a very intense thunderstorm, or a large fire affecting power lines), a type of electromagnetic field can be created. This field can induce (spontaneously generate) electric currents in power transmission lines. And this can overload or destabilize the power grid, causing errors, automatic disconnections, or even massive blackouts. The phenomenon is important because it's not always caused by human error: it can be the result of a natural event such as solar storms (like those that affect the Earth's magnetic field), which can cause inductions that damage transformers and high-voltage lines. However, for the moment, any hypothesis is open.

Isla convenes a crisis committee

On the other hand, the Catalan government also convened a crisis committee at 2:00 p.m. today with the regional ministers and President Salvador Illa. Several ministers participated, including the Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau; the Regional Minister of Territory, Silvia Paneque; the Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlón; the Minister of Health, Olga Pané; the Minister of the Interior, Miquel Sàmper; and the Minister of Education, Esther Niubó. Representatives from the Catalan Police (Mossos d'Esquadra) and Civil Protection, as well as the Catalan Cybersecurity Agency and the Emergency Medical Service, and Endesa, were also present.

The Ministry of the Interior is leading a cabinet that is prioritizing the evacuation of people trapped on the metro and trains, whether in tunnels or elevators. An urgent meeting of the Emergency Operations Coordination Center (CECOR) has also been called to organize the response of the various emergency and police forces to deal with the consequences of the blackout. Civil Protection bases are "ready to act when necessary." The 112 emergency service has called on citizens to only use it in the event of an emergency, while the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) has urged drivers to limit their travel as much as possible.

Beyond Catalonia, the governments of the various autonomous communities have convened crisis cabinets following the power outage that has affected the entire peninsula since midday and has caused incidents on public transport and essential services. In fact, the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has asked the Spanish government to declare a Level 3 national emergency and to bring the army into the streets.