Spain power cut: Which parts of the country are affected? What flights and services are affected?

A major power cut hit Spain and Portugal on Monday, including their capitals, knocking out subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights and ATMs.

The head of Spain's electricity network had predicted it could take between six and ten hours for power to be fully restored.

Here is what The Scotsman knows about the widespread blackouts.

Where are the Spain power outage affected?

Spanish generator Red Electrica said the incident had affected the Iberian peninsula and was being assessed.

People wait outside the Atocha train station in Madrid after its closure as a massive power outage hits Spain. Picture: Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images | AFP via Getty Images

Spain’s public broadcaster, RTVE, said a major power outage hit several regions of the country just after midday local time, leaving its newsroom, Spain’s parliament in Madrid and subway stations across the country in the dark.

A graph on Spain’s electricity network website showing demand across the country indicated a steep drop at around 12.15pm from 27,500MW to near 15,000MW.

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In Portugal, a country of some 10.6 million people, the outage hit the capital Lisbon and surrounding areas, as well as northern and southern parts of the country.

Portugal’s government said the incident appeared to stem from problems outside the country, an official told national news agency Lusa.

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E-Redes said parts of France also were affected.

What is the cause of the power cut?

Portuguese distributor E-Redes said the outage was due to “a problem with the European electricity system”, according to Portuguese newspaper Expresso.

The company said it was compelled to cut power in specific areas to stabilise the network, according to Expresso.

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Portugal’s grid operator REN said “extreme temperature variations” had produced a “rare atmospheric phenomenon” that caused the cuts.

What services have been affected?

Video shown on Spanish television showed people evacuating metro stations in Madrid, and empty stations with trains stopped in Barcelona.

People leave the Atocha train station in Madrid after its closure as a massive power outage hits Spain. Picture: Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images | AFP via Getty Images

Spain’s traffic department asked citizens to avoid using their cars as much as possible due to the power outage, which affected traffic lights and electric road signs.

A range of other transport services have been impacted, including airports, with flights grounded

Whole cities have been left without electricity or the internet, as well as other vital services, including ATMs, being down.

There have been reports of people driving to try and find open petrol stations and of teachers at schools trying to work with pupils in the dark.

Portuguese police placed more officers on duty to direct traffic and cope with increased requests for help, including from people trapped in lifts.

Portuguese hospitals and other emergency services switched to generators.

Portugal’s National Authority for Emergencies and Civil Protection said back-up power systems were operating.

Several Lisbon subway cars were evacuated, reports said.

Also in Portugal, courts stopped work and ATMs and electronic payment systems were affected. Traffic lights in Lisbon stopped working.

Employees stand inside a supermarket without lights in Burgos. Picture: Cesar Manso/AFP via Getty Images | AFP via Getty Images

It was not possible to make calls on mobile phone networks, though some apps were working.

What if I have a flight to or from Spain or Portugal?

Aena, the operator for a host of Spanish airports, has issued a statement, confirming terminals under its network were "operational with back-up electrical systems".

But the airport operator has suggested there may be delays when flying out of airports in Spain, given problems with crew and passengers getting to airports.

A swathe of departures from UK airports to Spain and Portugal were expected to face disruption. There were a total of 399 scheduled departures from British airports to Spanish destinations on Monday, including a host from major Scottish airports, including Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Ryanair flight FR189 from Edinburgh to Madrid was among flights affected, with the service delayed by one hour and 20 minutes before departing. However, many other flights remained on schedule.

Are power cuts common?

Such a widespread outage is rare.

The Portuguese Cabinet convened an emergency meeting at the prime minister’s residence, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Red Electrica to follow efforts to restore power to the grid.

“It looks like it was a problem with the distribution network, apparently in Spain. It’s still being ascertained,” Cabinet Minister Leitao Amaro was quoted as saying.