Dilip Kuner
AS Spain and Portugal were plunged into chaos during yesterday’s massive blackout, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stepped up with a shock offer: help from his battle-hardened energy experts.
The unprecedented power failure knocked out the internet and paralysed subway services across both nations, forcing them to declare a state of emergency. But while Iberia scrambled to restore electricity, Zelensky wasted no time flicking the switch on international aid.
“Over the years of war and Russian attacks on our energy system, Ukraine has gained significant experience in overcoming any energy challenges – including blackouts,” Zelensky said in a statement to Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez.
“I’ve already instructed Ukraine’s Energy Minister to act as swiftly as possible. Our technical experts are ready to help.”
The man with the plan is Herman Halushchenko, Ukraine’s top energy boss, who’s no stranger to power panic. He’s had his hands full this year alone, as Russia unleashed 13 brutal missile barrages on Ukraine’s grid, leaving towns in the dark and infrastructure in tatters.
But despite Putin’s best efforts, the Ukrainians kept the lights on.
“Even through winter and wave after wave of attacks, we didn’t go dark,” Zelensky said earlier this month. “We preserved our power system.”
Now, Ukraine’s resilience could be Spain’s salvation.
As one energy analyst in Madrid put it: “If anyone knows how to patch up a power grid under pressure, it’s Ukraine.”
Grid operators in Spain and Portugal confirmed that partial power had been restored, but full recovery could take time.
The cause of the massive outage is still under investigation, with some online sleuths speculating everything from cyberattacks to solar flares.
