A major power outage struck the entire Canary Island of La Palma this Monday morning. More than 50,500 electricity connections were left without power following heavy rainfall and thunderstorms. The regional government of the Canary Islands activated its emergency response plan, PLATECA. Power was fully restored after nearly four hours. There were no initial reports of any injuries.
Spain Expat Press Editorial Team
by Marlon Gallego Bosbach
The power outage occurred at approximately 6:42 a.m. local time, affecting a total of 50,508 electricity connections across the entire island. The grid operator, Red Eléctrica de España, immediately initiated measures to restore power. Initially, they succeeded in reconnecting a portion of the affected connections to the grid. By 10:00 a.m., about 56 percent of the affected households and facilities had regained power. At 10:26 a.m., the supply was finally fully restored.
Los Guinchos power plant at the center of the investigations
The Los Guinchos thermal power plant, located in the municipality of Breña Alta, is at the center of the investigation into the potential cause of the island-wide blackout – referred to as a “cero energético.” According to Red Eléctrica, a shutdown occurred at the facility, which ultimately triggered a total collapse of the power supply across the entire island. Furthermore, a key high-voltage transmission line between Guinchos and Valle had already gone out of service during the early morning hours.
The precise technical cause had not yet been definitively determined. However, a connection to the heavy rainfall and thunderstorms of the previous night was being investigated as a possible explanation. During the phased restart of the facility, initial difficulties arose in bringing individual generation units back online.
Severe weather brings up to 110 liters of rain per square meter
The power outage was preceded by a night of exceptionally heavy rainfall. The eastern part of La Palma was particularly affected. According to measurements by the private weather service Apalmet, up to 110 liters of rain per square meter fell in Miranda, in the municipality of Breña Alta. In Finca Amado (Breña Baja), 83 liters were recorded, and in Santa Cruz de La Palma, 46 liters.
The Spanish meteorological agency AEMET had also issued warnings regarding the intense rainfall. During the night, the highest alert level – red – was temporarily declared for the eastern part of the island. In some areas, as much as 62 liters of rain per square meter fell within a single hour. Over a twelve-hour period, rainfall totals reached as high as 138 liters.
In addition to the power outage, the heavy rainfall led to further incidents. Emergency responders were called out – particularly in Breña Alta and Breña Baja – to address flooded homes and business premises, overflowing sewage systems, and minor landslides on roads. According to the authorities, no injuries have been reported at this stage.
PLATECA disaster response plan activated
In response to the widespread power outage, the Directorate General for Emergencies of the Canary Islands regional government activated the regional civil protection plan, PLATECA, at 7:30 a.m. The objective was to coordinate the actions of the various emergency services and authorities, and to monitor the impact on the population as well as on critical public facilities.
Regardless of this, the special emergency plan for meteorological hazards – known as PEFMA – was also in effect due to the exceptional weather conditions. The authorities urged the public to avoid unnecessary car journeys, refrain from crossing flooded roads, and follow the instructions of emergency services.
The president of the Canary Islands regional government, Fernando Clavijo, stated that the situation on La Palma is being closely monitored. According to the Minister for Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, the Spanish central government has also been in contact with the Canarian authorities.
The airport and the hospital have emergency power supplies
Despite the complete failure of the public power grid, key facilities were able to rely on their own emergency power generators. These included La Palma Airport and the island’s university hospital. As a result, neither facility was solely dependent on the regular power supply.
The step-by-step restoration of the power grid took just under four hours in total. By 10:26 a.m. local time, all affected connections had finally been restored.
Another blackout raises questions about power supply
This incident is not the first major power outage on La Palma. In June 2025, the entire island was affected by a total blackout. On that occasion, issues at the Los Guinchos power plant were also responsible for the collapse of the power supply. Furthermore, in May 2025, approximately 19,500 connections were affected during a separate incident at a substation.
Major power outages have also occurred repeatedly on other Canary Islands in recent years. On La Gomera, for instance, a fire at the El Palmar power plant in July 2023 caused an outage that affected approximately 15,300 connections and lasted for nearly 60 hours.
The latest blackout on La Palma has once again brought the stability of the energy supply in the Canary Islands into the spotlight. Whether the causes of the current incident are linked to previous disruptions, however, remains to be determined.
