Real reason Balearics were spared from the power outage while rest of Spain in blackout

By Maria Ortega, Foreign Content Specialist, Emily Wright, World News Reporter

The Balearic and Canary Islands did not suffer from the massive blackout. (Image: Getty)

On Monday, much of the Iberian Peninsula was plunged into darkness by a massive blackout, for which a pro-Russian hacking group has claimed responsibility. However, the popular holiday destinations of the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands, as well as the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, managed to maintain normal operations.

As reported by Canarias 7, the blackout did not occur on the islands because their electrical systems are independent of the mainland and are not interconnected. In the case of the Balearic Islands, sources from the Ministry of Business, Employment and Energy explained that there has been no impact on the territory. This is because the system in this archipelago comprises two separate systems: Majorca-Menorca and Ibiza-Formentera.

The Balearics have not been affected because the Balearic power plants have operated independently. (Image: Getty)

The Balearics maintain a connection to the Peninsula via a submarine cable that allows them to exchange electricity.

However, they have not been affected because the Balearic power plants have operated independently. There are three plants in Majorca, one in Menorca, and one in Ibiza.

Electricity demand in the Balearic archipelago on Monday was 4.1% higher year-on-year.

The autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla - located in Northern Africa - do not have an electricity transmission network with the Iberian Peninsula. Each system is operated independently.

On the Canary Islands, meanwhile, some users began experiencing telecommunications problems at around 12pm on Monday, coinciding with the blackout on the Iberian Peninsula. However, the power outage had no major impact on the archipelago because the islands have an electrical system independent of the mainland and are not interconnected. In fact, there are six isolated systems - Fuerteventura and Lanzarote are the only interconnected islands.

The blackout also had other indirect effects on the archipelago, such as air traffic restrictions. (Image: Getty)

Some communication problems were reported. After the blackout began, several users of companies such as Vodafone and Orange reported being unable to make or receive calls for a certain period of time.

"The public is asked to restrict mobile phone use as much as possible and leave the network free so it can be available for emergency calls," said 112 Canarias on X.

"Given the congestion on the telephone network, we urge the public to limit mobile phone use as much as possible. Calls to 112 have priority over all other calls," they added.

The blackout also had other indirect effects on the archipelago, such as air traffic restrictions. From its profile on the social media platform X, Air Traffic Controllers, citing Eurocontrol, stated that "air traffic regulations were being implemented at the airports of Madrid and Lisbon due to the general outage in the Iberian Peninsula," which resulted in "some flights to the Canary Islands from Madrid being delayed" and "cancellations."