Blackout in the Iberian Peninsula
On Monday, April 28, 2025, a blackout-type incident occurred on the Iberian Peninsula: at 12:33 p.m., two incidents comparable to a loss of production occurred within a few seconds, leading to the disconnection of 15 GW of electricity production (Wikipedia).
That day, I was working when the lights went out, the AC stopped working and I received numerous notifications from social networks or news announcing the outage in Spain and Portugal.
In a few hours and despite orders at my work to stay -and work- I had to organize myself collectively to eat hot food, get some light, get information and keep myself entertained until the electricity came back on.
Emergency generators kept computers and Wi-Fi running during the outage, forcing us to stay and work. The cafeteria refrigerators and air conditioning were no longer working. The meals were lukewarm, and the air in the offices was stifling, adding to the stressful situation.
The official communication at work was as follows: our work is neither of primary use nor necessary, but since the computers and electricity on site run on emergency generators, we must continue working. My biggest regret was listening not to the health or political authorities who said not to panic but to acquire necessary supplies like bottled water or candles, but to listen to my bosses explain that I have no excuse not to stay at work despite the fact that the food in my fridge is already going moldy.
I was surprised by the lack of communication about the national blackout in Portugal. I had to tell my family in France that it wasn't just Spain that was affected, but also another entire but often forgotten country: Portugal.
Few hours after the beginning of the blackout, I decided to grab my battery-powered film camera and head to the central station, Oriente, to see what was happening and what moments there were to capture.
The Oriente subway station closed. As I walk past the lowered gates, I think about the people who were stuck in the subway when the blackout began.
At the station, unsurprisingly, there were endless queues for road and land public transport, not electric. These are the main scenes I captured in Oriente. People queuing for two hours in over 30 degree heat and without internet to communicate with loved ones or get any news.
There are crowds of people at every bus stop because it is no longer possible to order taxis without a network and internet connection and the metro stations are closed.
Faces are closed and stressed. Added to the heat and the waiting is the lack of communication with the outside world. I didn't enjoy capturing these moments with disabled people, young or old, pregnant people who all have the same problem with varying levels of anxiety.
The mall has closed its doors. Like birds, people try to hide from the sun around the shadowed walls of the shopping center.
Many people are trying to do some last-minute grocery shopping in vain.
An hour later my photo walk, I decided to defy the ban, leave my work and take refuge with friends who have managed to buy food, water, candles, and a radio. It was almost 4 p.m. and the temperature was still over 30 degrees. The metro stations were closed and the buses were no longer running. Add to that the internet network was getting slower and weaker. 4G/5G internet networks officially shut down around 4:30 p.m. as I was walking more than 45 minutes in the blazing sun to join my refuge.
Business in Asian stores was booming. Everyone is buying radios to receive news, candles for light, and various survival supplies. People are lining up outside of the shop in front of the main entrance, and shopkeepers are taking orders like in a restaurant and delivering them to those in line. Tobacco shops remain open. The organization is going very well and calmly.
As soon as I arrived, I listened to the radio. The need for information and the miss of stimulation made me feel like I was on a forced and distressing rehab. A forced shutdown of our hyperconnected world for an external reason influenced us all to turn inward and toward ourselves.
We took advantage of this special moment to tidy up and deep clean our home, listen to music with the radio, read, reconnect with the people around us and cook together. In fact, the blackout allowed us to gather around a dinner lulled by the crackling of the radio and under the light of candles.
When electricity returned, we celebrated the comeback as the arrival of the new year and we immersed ourselves in our phones to communicate with our loved ones who are physically far from us.
