On Monday 28 April 2025, Spain experienced the largest power blackout in its recent history, affecting the entire Iberian peninsula and leaving millions of people without electricity supply from 12:32 pm. The incident, described as "absolutely exceptional", caused chaos in key infrastructures, including hospitals, airports, metro networks and railways, as well as severely affecting the petrol industry.
Impact on petrol stations
The blackout had immediate consequences at petrol stations. In regions such as Murcia and Cartagena, there were long queues at petrol stations due to the high demand for fuel to power electric generators. Numerous citizens came with jerry cans to refuel, while several stations announced that they were out of fuel.
In Madrid, petrol stations operated normally and no shortages were reported at the pumps. However, the situation caused concern among drivers, who feared they would run out of petrol if the situation was prolonged.
Closure of service stations
Some companies were forced to temporarily close their service stations due to the lack of electricity supply.
Government measures
Given the magnitude of the blackout, the government activated for the first time the National Emergency Level 3, deploying the army and reinforcing security in communities such as Madrid, Andalusia and La Rioja. In addition, three days of strategic petroleum product reserves were released to guarantee the supply of fuel to essential services.
