Massive Power Outage Cripples Southern Europe… Is Algeria Behind the Incident?

ALDAR/

Spain, Portugal, and southern France were hit in recent hours by a widespread and sudden power outage, causing a wave of confusion and emergency responses across the affected European capitals. Described by observers as “unprecedented in years,” the incident has sparked broad questions about the source of the disruption, especially in light of early reports pointing to possible involvement from outside the European Union.

According to Spanish media outlets, the National Intelligence Center (CNI) in Madrid has launched an in-depth investigation, leaning toward the hypothesis of “potential involvement by a Maghreb country” in the event that disrupted major power stations and temporarily collapsed distribution networks across wide areas.

Sources within Spain’s National Cybersecurity Center hinted that Algeria is among the countries being scrutinized for possible links to the outage—particularly given the recent tensions in Spanish-Algerian relations, which have intensified in recent years due to sensitive political and economic issues, including gas supplies and the Western Sahara conflict.

Meanwhile, the European Institute of Astrophysics released a technical report noting unusual electromagnetic activity detected from North Africa at the same time as the blackout. However, the institute was quick to completely rule out Morocco as a source, stating that geomagnetic data showed no abnormal activity originating from Moroccan territory.

Several scenarios are now being considered regarding the nature of the incident. While some experts suggest the possibility of a cyberattack targeting critical infrastructure in Europe, others point to complex technical failures potentially triggered by external influences or unannounced electronic experiments.

This incident occurs amid a delicate regional and global context marked by rising geopolitical tensions and a growing international race in the fields of energy, technology, and control of critical communications networks. It also highlights the vulnerability of certain European systems in the face of cyber threats—whether deliberate or accidental.

The coming days will be crucial, as European authorities are expected to announce the findings of technical and security investigations—findings that could carry significant diplomatic repercussions, especially if the hypothesis of foreign interference is confirmed.