Wavecontrol MonitEM – Monitoring the Iberian Peninsula Blackout 

Early in April 2025, the Iberian Peninsula Blackout occurred, knocking out power for all of Spain, Portugal, and parts of southern France. The outcome of this blackout resulted in significant infrastructure outages for most of the day, affecting all transportation, communications, banking, and parts of the emergency response services.

Learn more about Wavecontrol here.

It was an incredibly worrying event for all involved, including our very own ADM founder, Glenn Bates, who was attending an industry event with EMF testing supplier Wavecontrol in Spain. However, for Wavecontrol, the Iberian Peninsula Blackout presented a unique circumstance: monitoring EMF during a large-scale geographical power outage.  
  
Wavecontrol maintains continuous monitoring of the local Spanish geography using their fixed-position EMF monitor, the Wavecontrol MonitEM.

  
This system is designed as a fixed monitoring solution for a specific location, with models suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications. The MonitEM provides users with vital environmental EMF monitoring updates, including a sudden and dramatic drop-off in background EMF radiation.  
  
If you follow the graphs below, provided by Wavecontrol, which track the daily EMF exposure levels throughout the region, you will find quite consistent levels between day and night schedules. However, if you observe Monday, the 28th of April, a sharp and sudden decline in EMF is very apparent, the blackout event.  

 
As you can see, the background EMF plummets from 3+ V/M down to shy of a few points above zero. However, although the 3+ V/M reading isn't particularly high and is well within ICNIRP exposure limits, the location of this MonitEM feed is in a largely passive space, monitoring background EMF away from larger infrastructure. 
  
The Iberian Peninsula Blackout offers an insightful look into the day-to-day EMF levels to which commuters are exposed within this region, highlighting the operational status of the region in an interesting way. 

Using MonitEM to collect and build historical data of any region provides insight into the normal operational level of EMF in that area. This data enables users to set alarms that warn of either a significant rise or decrease, allowing operations teams to respond appropriately. 
  
If you'd like to learn more about the Wavecontrol MonitEM IoT system, we have a blog that highlights the benefits of remote EMF monitoring in city landscapes here.
  
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the ADM Systems team for assistance. Please send any questions to our contact page here or call us directly on 1300 236 467.