MADRID, April 29. /TASS/. The investigation into the large-scale power outages in Spain has yielded no evidence that the blackout was caused by a cyberattack, the ABC newspaper reported.
"Neither the National Cryptologic Center [a Spanish intelligence agency within the National Intelligence Center] nor the leadership within the cyber defense have found anything that would indicate a cyberattack," the paper wrote, citing intelligence sources. "That does not mean this was not the case," the sources added. The theory that a power surge caused by instability in renewable energy sources during a period of maximum weakness for the network is gaining steam, the paper specified.
On the afternoon of April 28, Spain experienced major power outages across the country. Traffic lights stopped working, people were trapped in trains, public transportation and hospitals were disrupted. Only closer to night began the gradual resumption of power supply. The failure also affected neighboring Portugal. As of now, power has been largely restored.
Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez announced that 15 GW of power were suddenly lost in the system in just 5 seconds. The reason behind the sudden blackout has not been determined, he added. Experts are trying to establish the circumstances of the incident.