Portugal's energy regulator: customers are not eligible for automatic compensation for the blackout in 2025.

Portugal's energy regulator, ERSE, stated that last year's blackout, which affected millions, was an unusual incident stemming from Spain, and that grid operator REN and distributor EDP are not required to pay automatic compensation to customers.

The unusual outage on April 28, 2025, which left vast areas of the Iberian Peninsula without power for as long as 16 hours, has prompted several investigations at both the European level and within Spain and Portugal.

In a statement released on Tuesday, ERSE noted that the blackout was due to "exogenous and extraordinary" factors originating in Spain that quickly impacted Portugal because of the interconnected Iberian power system.

ERSE explained that the incident, which impacted 6.4 million customers in Portugal, was beyond the control of REN and EDP, and was not due to any actions, neglect, or failures in technical or operational responsibilities by these companies.

As a result, customers are not eligible for automatic compensation for the supply interruptions, according to the regulator. ERSE also indicated that any further claims for damages would need to be taken to courts in Portugal or Spain by those affected.