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

The report analyzes the spread of disinformation following a major power outage on the Iberian Peninsula on 28 April 2025. It identifies a pattern where initial speculation about cyberattacks transitioned into coordinated narratives blaming renewable energy and 'net zero' policies, largely driven by English-language actors and UK press. The document also details the emergence of conspiracy theories framing the event as a 'test run' for government control or a 'climate lockdown' linked to Agenda 2030. Analysis across Spanish, Portuguese, and English languages shows that X/Twitter was the primary vector for these narratives, while YouTube and TikTok favored conspiracy content.

• The Iberian power outage was used by climate disinformation actors to frame renewable energy as unreliable, with narratives gaining significant traction 12-24 hours after the event.
• A network of transnational English-language actors and the UK press spearheaded the disinformation campaign; the Daily Mail published an article implying renewables were to blame just two hours after the blackout, and The Daily Telegraph later suggested "net zero" was at fault.
• Initial widespread speculation across all languages focused on a cyberattack, possibly from Russia or Iran, which persisted in some spaces even after officials ruled it out on 29 April.
• Conspiracy theories emerged framing the outage as a deliberate 'test' for future authoritarian control, lockdowns, or a 'New World Order', often referencing 'Agenda 2030' or 'The Great Reset'.
• X/Twitter was identified as the most significant vector for speculation and disinformation, while YouTube and TikTok were particularly effective for promoting conspiracy content due to their algorithms and monetization models.
• In Spanish-language discourse, the blackout was linked to political attacks against Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and reignited public anger regarding the DANA floods in Valencia.
• Right-wing media in the US and Australia used the event as a 'warning' against their own green energy transitions, with Fox News Business and The Australian claiming the outage proved the risks of net-zero policies.

APA

Climate Action Against Disinformation (2025). Rapid Response Report: Speculation and Disinformation During and After the Iberian Power Outage, April & May 2025. https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CAAD-Briefing-Note-Template-for-iberian-outage-report.pdf

Chicago

Climate Action Against Disinformation. Rapid Response Report: Speculation and Disinformation During and After the Iberian Power Outage, April & May 2025. 2025. https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CAAD-Briefing-Note-Template-for-iberian-outage-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Action Against Disinformation |title=Rapid Response Report: Speculation and Disinformation During and After the Iberian Power Outage, April & May 2025 |date=2025 |url=https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CAAD-Briefing-Note-Template-for-iberian-outage-report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateactionagainstdisinformation2025rapid, author = {{Climate Action Against Disinformation}}, title = {{Rapid Response Report: Speculation and Disinformation During and After the Iberian Power Outage, April \& May 2025}}, institution = {Climate Action Against Disinformation}, year = {2025}, url = {https://caad.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CAAD-Briefing-Note-Template-for-iberian-outage-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }