Power outage hits Cannes and its surroundings!
100,000 households are still without electricity on Saturday afternoon in the western Alpes-Maritimes region, particularly in the cities of Cannes, Antibes, and Grasse, according to the company Enedis. The Alpes-Maritimes prefecture confirmed that power will be restored "in the next few hours." The national gendarmerie indicated that the outage was caused by "deliberate acts of vandalism."
The prefecture announced that power is gradually returning to the center of Cannes, and a reporter from France Inter confirmed that many shops have resumed electricity. The mayor of Mandelieu-La Napoule, Sébastien Leroy, also announced that electricity is gradually returning to all neighborhoods of his city.
The RTE company clarified that the power restoration began from the Biançon station near Cannes, which had burned down on Friday night-Saturday. Out of 160,000 homes affected by the outage since ten in the morning, power has been restored to 60,000 homes so far.
The incident began at 2:45 AM due to "two deliberate fires" at the Saint-Cassien power station in the Thau area, leading to a power outage for 20,430 subscribers in Var and 25,000 in Alpes-Maritimes. Although the fire was brought under control by 6:30 AM, the network remained fragile. Traces of flammable materials were also found, and the protective fence around the station was cut precisely.
In addition, it was reported that several power poles were cut in Villeneuve-Loubet, Mougins, and Cagnes-sur-Mer. The number of fire department interventions was around 100, including incidents related to elevator stoppages.
The public prosecutor in Grasse and Draguignan has opened investigations into these acts of vandalism. The Alpes-Maritimes prefect condemned these "serious" actions that threaten the "safety of electrical infrastructure," praising the efforts of RTE and Enedis teams and state services, and confirming that all means are available to apprehend the perpetrators.
The director of the Alpes-Maritimes governor's office, Aurélie Libourgeois, confirmed that there are no effects on the safety of individuals, as sensitive institutions are equipped with backup generators, especially hospitals. She explained that these institutions can withstand for up to 48 hours.
Special attention has also been given to telecommunications networks, as some Orange stations are facing difficulties after their emergency batteries ran out, unlike other network operators who were not affected.
Despite this significant interruption, the authorities and organizers confirmed that the closing ceremony of the Cannes Festival would take place as planned, thanks to the operation of three generators to power the Palais des Festivals.
In a Facebook post, Sébastien Leroy questioned the possibility of "internal collusion" or "official fragility that has become evident in the network," especially since the acts of sabotage coincided with the closing day of the Cannes Film Festival.