The Spain-Portugal Blackout Is a Warning India Can't Afford to Ignore

The extent to which we digitise government systems has to be critically reassessed, writes Sharique Hassan Manazir.

The idea of digitisation of every public service to monetise upon seems to trigger a mental orgasm for everyone.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

The other day, I was sitting in a roundtable discussion. The focus was on inclusive digital services, and I got the sense that many participants were confused about the difference between a citizen-centric and a customer-centric approach.

But that's a topic for another day.

What put me off was someone, apparently from a private bank, proudly announcing: “We are doing UPI and we are so advanced digitally. Why is the West not digitising every public service?” It felt like a random WhatsApp chatroom take. Disturbingly, he’s not the only one.

At a much larger level, South Asia seems to have turned a blind eye to the all-out digitisation of everything, without pausing to consider its often hidden financial cost, climate cost, socio-political cost, and, most worryingly, the cost to national security.

The idea of digitisation of every public service to monetise upon seems to trigger a mental orgasm for everyone, from policymakers to investors; it is yet another excuse for a panel discussion. Another excuse for hyped-up funding bids. Another excuse to extrapolate market value and GDP.

Another opportunity to draw rosy curves about job creation and salary hikes. It keeps everyone smiling, nodding, apparently hopeful. What the Global South refuses to do is look at the downside.

The Blackout No One Saw Coming

For a moment, just a moment, let’s focus on what’s been unfolding these past few days in Spain and Portugal.

There was a total power shutdown, leading to the declaration of a National Emergency. Metros, buses, traffic lights, grocery stores, mobile networks— nothing was working.

People were, quite literally, thrown back into the dark ages. Frantically hunting for hard cash, but nowhere to spend. Trains stopped mid-track. Flights cancelled.

The Madrid Open? Cancelled. And that’s not even the full list. People, most of whom have never lived without electricity, had no clue how to cope with the anxiety, stress, and information.

The most alarming aspect of the recent blackout in Spain and Portugal is that neither government could say with certainty what triggered the shutdown.

Two main theories have emerged so far: one suggests a grid failure linked to over-reliance on renewable energy sources, and the other raises the possibility of a cyberattack.

Before examining the first theory in detail, it’s crucial to understand how an electricity grid functions, especially as countries around the world, including India, increasingly pursue renewable energy transitions.

An electricity grid is a vast network that carries power from generation sources, like solar panels, wind farms, and fossil fuel plants, to homes and businesses.

It operates on a delicate balance: the electricity supply must always match demand to maintain a stable frequency.

When Green Energy Meets Geopolitical Risk

While solar and wind energy are clean and cost-efficient, they are inherently variable, producing power only when weather conditions permit.

As climate change adds further unpredictability to these resources, grid operators manage this variability using forecasting tools, energy storage, and "firm" power sources such as coal, gas, or nuclear that can quickly scale up or down to keep the grid stable.

In the case of Spain and Portugal, over 50 percent of the electricity at the time of the blackout was reportedly coming from solar power.

Some experts believe that a sudden spike in solar production, combined with a shortage of firm power plants operating at the time, left the grid unable to stabilise itself.

This imbalance may have triggered an automatic shutdown to protect critical infrastructure, resulting in a widespread power outage.

If this theory proves true, the incident underscores the need for a resilient and diversified energy mix, even as nations move rapidly toward renewable energy.

However, grid operators have so far refrained from confirming this explanation and maintain that the precise cause is still under investigation.

Cyberattack Fears

The second theory, of a cyberattack, is gaining serious attention. The reason is, Spain and Portugal, both European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) members, are considered strategic yet potentially vulnerable targets.

Their support for Ukraine and alignment with Western sanctions make them plausible targets for state-sponsored or proxy cyber threats. Additionally, Spain’s prominent role in renewable energy adoption makes it a symbolic target for those aiming to undermine the global energy transition or expose flaws in digital infrastructure.

Since the two countries share interconnected power systems, a well-executed cyberattack could result in wide-scale disruption with minimal effort. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has confirmed that national cybersecurity agencies are actively investigating this possibility.

Further reinforcing this line of inquiry, Spain’s top criminal court has also declared that it is probing whether an act of computer sabotage on critical infrastructure.

Whether technical failure or malicious interference is to blame, the incident reveals deep vulnerabilities in modern energy systems that policymakers can no longer afford to overlook.

This has triggered serious reflection among global policymakers, not just because the root cause remains uncertain, but because of what it could mean for other nations.

If the failure stemmed from overdependence on renewable energy without sufficient backup, it highlights a critical vulnerability in the current energy transition model.

When Innovation Outpaces Infrastructure

While the shift to clean energy is necessary and urgent, it must not come at the cost of grid stability and national security.

While the shift to clean energy is necessary and urgent, it must not come at the cost of grid stability and national security.

The incident underscores the need to balance ambition with caution, ensuring that energy systems are not just green but resilient.

On the other hand, if it is because of a cyber-attack, governments need to revisit the mad rush of digitising every national critical infrastructure, especially those related to energy governance. The extent to which we digitise government systems needs to be critically reassessed.

For India and much of the Global South, where digitisation and renewable adoption are accelerating, the lesson is even more urgent.

These regions often face a mismatch between technological advancement and the robustness of supporting infrastructure, especially in cybersecurity, grid reliability, and public preparedness. When essential services are fully digital, a single disruption can escalate from inconvenience to crisis.

Our policies must be realistic, not just aspirational.

(Sharique Hassan Manazir is Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Kautilya School of Public Policy, Hyderabad. This is an opinion piece. All views expressed are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)