Portugal Blames Spain for Blackout and Demands EU-Level Investigation

The Portuguese government has taken a firm stance following the massive blackout that disrupted power and communications across the Iberian Peninsula on Monday. While Spain remains silent on the origin of the failure, Portugal is pointing fingers—and demanding answers.

Local media such as Correio da Manhã and Jornal de Notícias ran bold headlines accusing Spain of being the source of the disruption, with titles like “Spanish blackout causes chaos in Portugal.” These reports echo statements from officials in Lisbon, who insist the issue did not begin on their side of the border.

Acting Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has announced the formation of an independent commission to investigate the blackout’s causes. In addition, he revealed that Portugal will formally request a European audit of the Iberian electrical system. “We will spare no effort to clarify a serious problem that did not originate in Portugal,” Montenegro stated after an emergency Council of Ministers session.

According to Agência EFE, the Portuguese government will also ask the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) of the European Union to assess the resilience and vulnerability of the interconnected grid between Spain and Portugal. The Portuguese commission will consist of seven technical experts and three members of Parliament, though it will not begin its work until after the general election on May 18.

This diplomatic and regulatory escalation underscores growing tensions over the fragility of Europe’s energy infrastructure and the lack of cross-border contingency protocols. As the Iberian Peninsula braces for the outcome of the investigations, the spotlight is now firmly on Spain’s grid management—and the EU’s readiness to respond to large-scale outages.