Algeria braces for internet disruptions due to Spain’s power outage

ALGIERS, Algeria/ISTANBUL

Algerian authorities warned Monday of potential internet disruptions in the coming hours due to a massive power outage affecting Spain and other European nations.

Part of the submarine cable systems for internet connectivity, located in Spain’s coastal cities, could be affected by the outage, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications said in a statement.

Authorities said they had taken preventive measures to minimize the impact by activating backup systems, including batteries and generators, to ensure service continuity for a limited time.

The ministry added that technical teams remained on high alert to maintain the best possible service quality.

Earlier Monday, Spain and Portugal experienced unprecedented electricity outages. Power restoration in Spain could take up to 10 hours, according to an official source.

Meanwhile, Spanish electricity provider Red Electrica said it expects the blackout to last six to 10 hours.

BBC News reported that Madrid faced severe traffic congestion due to malfunctioning traffic lights caused by the blackout, which also affected operations at Barajas Airport.

Spanish railway company Renfe announced that it had suspended train services around noon due to the “national power grid outage.”

Authorities also suspended the Madrid Open tennis tournament following the blackout, BBC News reported.

According to Politico, citing an unnamed official, Spanish authorities formed a crisis committee to manage the blackout, although the exact cause remained unclear. Authorities were considering all possibilities, including potential cyberattacks.

The Independent reported that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Red Electrica’s headquarters to assess the situation.

In neighboring Portugal, electricity provider E-Redes said the blackout might have resulted from a “problem in the European power grid,” Politico reported.

Later, Portugal’s national grid operator REN said full restoration of electricity could take up to a week, attributing the outage to extremely high temperatures.