By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) - There is currently no evidence of a cyberattack in connection with the widespread power outages in Spain and Portugal, the European Council president said on Monday.
Antonio Costa said he spoke with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro about today's ongoing blackout in Spain and Portugal over the phone.
"Grid operators in both countries are working on finding the cause, and on restoring the electricity supply," he wrote on X.
He clarified that "at this point, there are no indications of any cyber attack."
Meanwhile, Red Electrica, a Spanish energy provider, said they expect the blackout to last for six to 10 hours.
The electricity went out across Portugal, Spain, and Andorra around midday Monday, also affecting parts of France.
Authorities are investigating the causes of the outage. Spain's National Institute for Cybersecurity is also studying whether a cyberattack could be responsible.
The Spanish government has called an emergency meeting with the country's national energy provider, Red Electrica, which will be attended by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and several ministers.
The meeting will discuss coordinating actions to address the blackout.
*Ilayda Cakirtekin from Istanbul contributed to this story