Redaccion
Public and private schools have recorded a 50% attendance rate on the non-teaching day, urban bus usage has dropped by 20%, and the number of incidents attended by security forces exceeds 200, with over a hundred elevator rescues.
Alicante, April 29, 2025. Alicante has returned to normalcy after the widespread blackout that affected the entire peninsula on Monday, as confirmed by the mayor, Luis Barcala, in his address to report on the city’s situation and provide an overview of the past 24 hours. The mayor highlighted the «example of civility, common sense, and responsibility» shown by the residents of Alicante during this crisis.
Barcala stated that the power supply is «almost fully restored,» and municipal services are working to address some incidents and breakdowns caused by the power outage and subsequent gradual recovery of electricity. The Alicante City Council is maintaining Emergency Level 2 as long as the Valencian Government remains at Level 3, with the mayor emphasizing that they are closely monitoring the situation with CECOPAL activated.
The Local Police and the Fire and Rescue Service doubled shifts on Tuesday evening and bolstered personnel during the night, a time frame of particular concern, providing support to the State security forces through coordination with the Government Sub-delegation, as explained by the mayor. «Thanks to this effort and the impressive work of the Local Police and Firefighters, along with the behavior of the residents, we have not had to deal with major incidents in terms of public safety,» he emphasized.
Barcala also highlighted telecommunications as one of the major issues stemming from the blackout due to the collapse of the towers in Santa Pola, Torrellano, and Pego, affecting the entire province. Operators have now restored almost all telephony and data traffic, but the mayor called for solutions to ensure that this service is not solely dependent on a power outage.
Regarding water supply, service has been fully restored, except for specific cases with pump breakdowns dependent on the power supply. Service has been restored in El Moralet and Verdegás in the morning.
On the non-teaching day this Tuesday, public and private schools recorded an attendance rate of approximately 50%. The City Council is only aware of two incidents in schools that are already being resolved, an elevator breakdown at CEIP Rabasa and an electrical panel issue in the kitchen of CEIP Virgen del Remedio.
As for transportation, the urban bus service is operating normally, with the frequency information system failure being repaired by mid-morning. Usage has decreased by 20% compared to a regular day, attributed to class suspensions and instructions to avoid travel that may have been adopted at workplaces. The TRAM service has resumed, the airport is operating normally, and only the rail transport has not been fully restored. The AVE service is normal, while Euromed, Media Distancia, and Cercanías routes are gradually returning. Additionally, the Alicante station remained open all night on Monday to accommodate 50 individuals unable to travel, who were assisted by the Red Cross.
Main city thoroughfare traffic lights are operating at 100%, and secondary roads and intersections are almost fully functional. The blackout caused a malfunction in the traffic light coordination system, resulting in initial traffic congestion and occasional bottlenecks at city entrances, as explained by the mayor.
Street lighting was gradually restored as the service recovered, with technicians manually replacing some points. A team remained on standby all night, in coordination with Iberdrola, to gradually adjust the service restoration and prevent voltage surges.
The Infrastructure Department stockpiled 1,600 liters of diesel to ensure emergency vehicle and priority facility supply. Assistance was also provided to a dialysis clinic to operate with a generator. Diesel replenishment for all municipal facilities’ generators was carried out throughout the morning.
Mercalicante was able to continue operating with generators until midnight when the power supply was restored, allowing it to supply markets that opened normally on Tuesday. Only two incidents were reported at the Central Market, with a malfunctioning escalator and lack of street lighting in Plaza del 25 de Mayo.
Retail stores were able to open, sports facilities resumed normal operations, as did cultural centers and social and community centers. The CAUS operated with all services, including a dining hall, using a generator.
Actions Summary
The mayor highlighted that despite the potential chaos of having no traffic lights throughout the city, no serious incidents occurred thanks to the «great work of the Local Police in traffic regulation throughout the city.»
Meanwhile, the Firefighters responded to over 200 incidents, including more than 100 elevator rescues. The remaining interventions involved water leaks and minor fire incidents, with no reported personal injuries.
