La Palma island was left completely without electricity supply this Monday, November 2, after a general system failure was recorded at 06:42 hours, according to the information provided about the incident. The breakdown has caused what is technically known as an energy zero, a situation in which the entire supply of an electrical grid is lost. Given the seriousness of the episode, the General Directorate of Emergencies of the Government of the Canary Islands has declared the alert situation in the insular territory, while work is underway to determine the scope of the incident and restore normality.
The blackout has occurred at a particularly difficult time for La Palma, which since 02:00 hours this Monday has remained on maximum alert for rain on its eastern side. During the early hours, rainfall of great intensity has been recorded, with accumulations of 62 liters per square meter in a single hour and 138 liters in twelve hours, according to data released by the regional Government. The coincidence between both episodes increases concern over possible incidents in essential services, although it has still not been confirmed that the rains are the cause of the electrical failure.
The total loss of supply affects an insular system that depends on its own generation and distribution facilities, which makes the coordinated recovery of electrical infrastructures especially important. For the moment, no time has been set for the full restoration of the service, nor has the origin of the breakdown been officially communicated.
What an energy zero is and what has happened in La Palma
An energy zero occurs when an electrical system completely loses supply, whether due to the disconnection of generation facilities, failures in the grid, or other incidents that prevent maintaining the necessary balance for its operation. In the case of La Palma, the interruption recorded at 06:42 hours has affected the entire insular territory, which distinguishes this situation from a localized outage in a municipality or a specific area.
The electrical systems of Canarias have particularities compared to the mainland one, since the islands operate through isolated networks or insular systems with limited interconnections. This configuration can make recovery after a widespread breakdown difficult, by not having the same possibilities of immediate support from other networks that exist in peninsular Spain.
La Palma has already recorded similar episodes in the past. On June 10, 2025, a failure in a generator caused another blackout that affected more than 50,000 users, according to RTVE reported then. That incident forced the activation of emergency mechanisms and the supply was progressively restored throughout the day.
However, the causes of this Monday's blackout still have to be determined, so a direct relationship with previous breakdowns cannot be established nor can the failure be attributed to a specific component of the network.
La Palma records torrential rains of up to 138 liters in twelve hours
The electrical incident coincides with one of the most intense rainfall episodes of recent days in Canarias. The General Directorate of Emergencies raised the situation due to rain in eastern La Palma to maximum alert starting at 02:00 hours, after confirming highly intense convective activity during the early morning. The measure has been adopted based on information from the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) and other official sources, in accordance with the Specific Emergency Plan of Canarias for Risks from Adverse Meteorological Phenomena (PEFMA).
The records reach 62 millimeters of rain in one hour, equivalent to 62 liters per square meter, while the accumulated precipitation over twelve hours has reached 138 millimeters. These amounts can favor the appearance of runoff, sudden rises in ravines and landslides, especially in areas with steep slopes or where the terrain makes it difficult to absorb the water.
The maximum alert affects the eastern slope of La Palma, while the rest of the island remains in an alert situation. El Hierro and La Gomera are also on alert for rain, and Tenerife and Gran Canaria maintain the pre-alert. The Canary Government warns that the downpours could exceed 30 liters per square meter in one hour in the western islands, with a higher probability until 15:00 hours this Monday, although it does not rule out intense rainfall continuing during the afternoon.
The storm also affects Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro
Meteorological instability is not limited to La Palma. During Sunday, Tenerife and La Gomera already suffered interruptions to the electricity supply related to the heavy rain and storms. In that episode, Red Eléctrica announced the disconnection of two 220-kilovolt circuits in the south of Tenerife and the loss of part of the generation at the Granadilla power plant.
The incident on Sunday left numerous homes temporarily without supply, although Red Eléctrica confirmed that service had been restored at 08:51 hours. This is a different episode from the energy blackout recorded this Monday in La Palma, whose causes have still not been specified.
The weather forecast maintains the risk of intense rainfall for much of this Monday in the western islands. In Tenerife and Gran Canaria, rain of 20 liters per square meter in one hour could also be recorded, especially in the north and the metropolitan area of the island of Tenerife. For Tuesday, November 3, the authorities expect the rains to continue in the mountainous islands, although more scattered and, in principle, with lower intensity.
Recommendations in the face of the blackout and the maximum alert for rain
In view of the coincidence of a general interruption of the electricity supply and an episode of heavy rainfall, the authorities recommend exercising extreme caution and following the instructions of the emergency services. The population should avoid unnecessary travel through flood-prone areas, not cross ravines with water, and stay away from channels and areas where landslides may occur.
In the event of a power outage, it is also advisable to reduce the use of devices that depend on batteries, keep mobile phones available for essential communications and avoid using elevators until the stability of the supply is confirmed. If incidents occur that involve risks for people, the emergency telephone available in Canarias is 112.
The evolution of the blackout and the rains will mark the next few hours in La Palma. While the competent services must determine what caused the zero energy and when the supply can be fully restored, the Dirección General de Emergencias maintains surveillance over a storm that could still leave heavy rainfall in different parts of the archipelago.
The main priority is to recover the electrical service and guarantee the safety of the population, especially in the areas where the rains have reached greater intensity during the early hours of the morning.