La Palma was left without electrical supply this Monday, November 2, after a general failure caused an energy zero that affects 50,508 customers throughout the island. The incident was recorded at 06:38 hours, according to Red Eléctrica, while the Government of Canarias placed the general failure at 06:42. In view of the complete loss of service, the Directorate-General for Emergencies has activated the alert situation of the Territorial Emergency Plan for Civil Protection of Canarias (PLATECA), with the aim of coordinating actions and assessing the possible consequences on essential services.
The exact causes of the blackout have still not been determined, although the electric companies have already identified a prior incident in the transport infrastructure. According to information from Endesa to Cadena SER, around 04:00 hours a problem occurred on the Guinchos-Valle 66-kilovolt line, belonging to Red Eléctrica and which constitutes the island's only transport line. The fault occurred during a dawn marked by strong electrical storms and torrential rainfall, although it is still being investigated to what extent the storm is related to the loss of supply.
The main concern of those affected now centers on when electricity will return to the homes, businesses and services of La Palma. Red Eléctrica has announced that the restoration process has already begun, but warns that it is necessary first to recover the connection of the Los Guinchos power plant with the insular system. Meanwhile, the president of the Cabildo, Sergio Rodríguez, has estimated that the work could last between two and five hours, a forecast that will depend on the evolution of the fault and that does not constitute a definitive deadline.
What caused the blackout in La Palma: an incident on the Guinchos-Valle line
The investigation into the origin of the energy zero points to an incident recorded during the early hours on the 66-kilovolt Guinchos-Valle line. This infrastructure, managed by Red Eléctrica, plays an essential role in the transport of electricity within La Palma. According to the explanations conveyed by Endesa to Radio La Palma, the problem detected around four in the morning preceded the general blackout that left the entire island without supply a few hours later.
The distribution company has acknowledged that it still cannot establish a definitive sequence of what happened. Technicians must determine which part of the incident is due to the effects of the storm and which is related to the operation of the electrical infrastructure. The coincidence of both episodes does not allow one to automatically conclude that the lightning or the rain were the direct cause of the energy blackout, although the storm figures among the factors that are being examined.
The situation is especially delicate because La Palma has an isolated electrical system, without an external connection that would allow all the necessary energy to be imported immediately to compensate for a general failure of generation or transport. This characteristic forces the start-up of the production facilities to be coordinated with the restoration of the electrical lines before progressively restoring service to consumers.
When the light will return: they estimate between two and five hours to recover supply
The president of the Cabildo of La Palma, Sergio Rodríguez, has indicated that the recovery of supply could take between two and five hours, according to statements collected by RTVE. However, the timeframe is an estimate and not a confirmation that all customers will have electricity within that interval. The evolution will depend on the state of the grid, the capacity to reactivate the generation facilities, and the checks necessary to ensure that the system can operate stably.
Red Eléctrica has confirmed that the restoration process is already under way, although it has explained that it is waiting for the Los Guinchos power plant to reconnect to the system. Endesa, for its part, has indicated that its teams are working to start up the generation units and that the affected supplies are in the preliminary phase before restoration. The company has also warned that the 66-kilovolt high-voltage line remained out of service during the first actions.
The recovery from a power outage does not consist solely of turning an installation back on. Technical officials must restore the balance between generation and consumption and verify that the lines can transport electricity safely, which may require restoring service in stages. For this reason, some areas could regain supply before others, although a timetable for restoration by municipality has not yet been announced.
More than 50,500 customers without power and communication problems
The blackout affects 50,508 electrical supplies, according to data provided by Endesa, a figure that comprises practically the entire total of supply points on the island. The incident has consequences for homes, commercial establishments and services that depend on the operation of the electrical grid, while the authorities work to assess the possible effects on essential infrastructure.
The outage has also caused problems in telephone communications. The president of the Cabildo has confirmed that some lines stopped working during the blackout, although coverage began to recover afterward. These incidents can complicate coordination between public bodies and citizens' communications, especially on a day marked by heavy rain.
The Government of Canarias activated PLATECA in an alert situation at 07:30 hours, with the purpose of reinforcing monitoring of the emergency and coordinating the actions of the administrations and companies involved. This declaration makes it possible to assess the impact of the blackout on essential services and adapt the institutional response while the restoration of supply continues.
The blackout coincides with torrential rains of up to 138 liters per square meter
The loss of electricity has occurred during one of the early mornings of greatest weather instability in recent days in Canarias. The General Directorate of Emergencies had declared maximum alert for rain on the eastern slope of La Palma as of 02:00 hours this Monday, after extraordinarily intense rainfall was recorded.
The data released by the regional Government show accumulations of 62 liters per square meter in one hour and 138 liters in twelve hours in the east of the island. The storms have also been accompanied by intense electrical activity, a circumstance that technicians are taking into account when analyzing the incident recorded in the transport system.
The weather situation keeps the risk of sudden rises in ravines, landslides and accumulations of water on roads and urban areas. The authorities have warned that the showers could continue during this Monday and exceed 30 liters per square meter in one hour in some areas of the western islands.
In addition to La Palma, El Hierro and La Gomera remain under a rain alert, while Tenerife and Gran Canaria are under pre-alert. The forecast indicates that the rainfall will continue during Tuesday, although with a presumably lower intensity.
La Palma already suffered another energy blackout in June 2025
This Monday's blackout once again puts the focus on the vulnerability of La Palma's electric system, which has recorded different interruptions in supply over recent years. One of the most relevant precedents took place on 10 June 2025, when a failure in a generator at the Los Guinchos plant caused another energy blackout that affected more than 50,000 users.
On that occasion, the supply was restored after approximately three hours and the Government of Canarias opened proceedings to clarify the causes of the incident. After that blackout, the president of the Cabildo called for investments to modernize the electric infrastructure and warned of the aging of part of the generation equipment.
The Los Guinchos plant is a fundamental installation for the electric supply of La Palma, so any incident that affects its operation can have important consequences for the island supply. However, the 2025 precedent does not allow establishing that this Monday's failure has the same origin, since the current investigations have still not concluded.
How to check whether the power has been restored and what to do during the blackout
While restoration continues, citizens can consult electrical incidents through the e-distribución fault service, which allows them to check the affected areas and learn the recovery forecasts when they are available. They can also follow the official communications of Red Eléctrica, the Government of Canarias, the Cabildo de La Palma and the emergency service 112 Canarias.
The authorities recommend avoiding unnecessary travel during the rain episode, not crossing ravines with water, and taking extreme precautions on roads where landslides may occur. In the absence of supply, it is also advisable to unplug the most sensitive appliances to reduce the risk of damage when electricity returns, keep mobile devices charged, and reserve the 112 phone for emergency situations.
For the moment, the blackout continues in the recovery process and there is no guaranteed official time for the full restoration of the service. The estimate of between two and five hours conveyed by the president of the Cabildo offers an initial reference, but the return of electricity will depend on technicians managing to reactivate the Los Guinchos plant and recover the network’s operating conditions.
The immediate priority is to restore supply to the more than 50,500 affected customers and clarify whether the electrical storm, the incident on the Guinchos-Valle line, or a combination of factors caused the energy zero.Until technical checks are completed, any conclusion about the definitive origin of the blackout would be premature.