Rapid Response Report: Speculation and Disinformation During and After the Iberian Power Outage, April & May 2025

On 28 April 2025, a power outage occurred across the Iberian Peninsula, knocking out electricity for the majority of people in Spain and Portugal. In this CAAD briefing, we explore how, within hours, speculation about this global news story gave way to conspiracy theories and disinformation in Spanish-, Portuguese- and English-language. In particular, content falsely blaming renewables or net zero for the outage was actively shared in the media and social media.

Instead of sharing accurate, responsible or constructive information during this crisis event, disinformation networks exploited it, spreading falsehoods – often thinly veiled as speculation or news reporting – as ideological ammunition to undermine scientifically viable solutions to the climate crisis. Social media algorithms, to varying degrees, allowed this content to spread far and wide.

The disinformation that spread in the wake of this event looks similar to what we see during extreme weather events, and reflects a pattern of an increasingly polluted information environment online. CAAD’s policy platform is the only way to turn this tide, before it’s too late.