Spain is recovering from an unprecedented power cut that occurred on Monday. Spain and Portugal were both without power for almost twenty hours. While the situation appears to have been resolved, the repercussions on the supply chain, particularly in terms of fruit and vegetable supplies to France and Europe, appear to be significant.
The cause of the power cut is still unknown
The Portuguese electricity network is now "perfectly stabilized", according to the national grid operator, on Tuesday morning. In Spain, more than 99% of the power supply has been restored, according to Red Eléctrica de España (REE). The blackout began at 12.30 pm on Monday, affecting both countries simultaneously. Some localities in the French Basque Country were also briefly affected. So far, the origin of this blackout remains unknown. According to the authorities, the possibility of a cyber attack seems to have been ruled out. The president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, referred to a "strong oscillation" on the European electricity network. His Portuguese counterpart, Luís Montenegro, attributed the source of the malfunction to the Spanish network, without specifying the exact causes.
Two countries at a standstill
Rail freight and public transport were disrupted, traffic lights out of order, telecommunications cut off: the fault brought activity to a sudden halt in both countries. Air traffic was also disrupted, many businesses were forced to close, and Spanish refineries temporarily ceased operations. Spain has declared a state of emergency. In the agri-food sector, the effects of the blackout are still being assessed. According to the Spanish Federation of Food and Drink Industries (FIAB) on LinkedIn, "it is still difficult to quantify the impact caused by the power cut, although the food industries have undoubtedly been affected by the paralysis of their production lines and by the effect that the loss of electricity supply may have had on the products that need it for processing and preservation. The sector is gradually returning to normal, guaranteeing the quality and safety of all its products."
Goods blocked and public holiday
At Perpignan's Saint-Charles international market, professionals are describing a tense situation. According to several operators interviewed, most of the expected volumes could not be delivered. "Almost 90% of supplies are not coming in. It is a big loss of earnings," especially as May 1st is a holiday. "The advance we made in anticipation of the May holiday has been lost," confided an operator of the Saint-Charles market.
There are also consequences for flows from Morocco, transiting through the Spanish port of Algeciras, which announced this morning that its activities were almost back to normal.
