What has caused power outages in Spain and Portugal as video shows Madrid train station in darkness

Spain and Portugal have been hit by a massive power outage that has caused blackouts, Spain’s electricity network operator has said.

The Spanish grid operator Red Eléctrica said it had activated plans to restore the supply, with “all resources dedicated to solving” the disruption.

It said the Iberian peninsula, with a combined population of more than 50 million people, had been affected.

What has caused the power outages in Spain and Portugal?

The cause of the power outage affecting Spain and Portugal remains unclear.

Portuguese energy company REN (Rede Eletrica Nacional) says that "due to extreme temperature variations in the interior or Spain, there were anomalous oscillations in the very high voltage lines (400 KV), a phenomenon known as 'induced atmospheric vibration'.

"These oscillations caused synchronisation failures between the electrical systems, leading to successive disturbances across the interconnected European network."

Spain has not yet responded to these claims, or gave an update on the cause of the outage.