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First Post
26-05-2025
- First Post
2 power blackouts, 1 region, 0 arrests: Who is sabotaging France's electric grid?
In just 24 hours, two major blackouts hit southeastern France — first in Cannes during the film festival, then in Nice — crippling power for over 200,000 homes. Investigations point to arson and sabotage, with an anarchist group claiming responsibility read more Police direct traffic during an electricity outage in Cannes, southern France, May 24, 2025. File Image/AP France's Côte d'Azur (French Riviera in southeastern France) was rattled by two major power outages over the weekend, affecting tens of thousands of residents and disrupting life in cities including Cannes and Nice. Authorities suspect sabotage after multiple electrical facilities were damaged in a series of what officials are calling coordinated acts of arson. The blackouts — first in Cannes on Saturday and then in Nice on Sunday — have raised serious concerns about the security of the region's energy infrastructure. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On Saturday morning, the first outage affected large parts of Cannes and surrounding areas, coinciding with the final day of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. The following night, a second disruption struck the city of Nice and its neighbouring municipalities. In both cases, critical electrical infrastructure was either damaged or deliberately targeted, prompting inquiries into arson and malicious interference. Cannes outage: What happened? The first incident unfolded early Saturday in the Alpes-Maritimes department. A fire erupted overnight at an electrical substation located in Tanneron, west of Cannes. The blaze, which was brought under control by emergency services, led to a massive outage that impacted approximately 160,000 homes. According to France's national electricity grid operator RTE, the blackout initially started due to the substation fire, but a second disruption was triggered shortly after 10 am when technicians identified a dangerously unstable electricity pylon in Villeneuve-Louet, about 15 kilometres northeast of Cannes. The high-voltage structure, with three of its supporting pillars cut, posed an immediate collapse risk and necessitated a secondary shutdown of the power supply. Laurent Hottiaux, the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes region, described the damage as 'major' and stated that 'all resources are being mobilised to identify, track down, arrest and bring to justice the perpetrators of these acts.' The Alpes-Maritimes public prosecutor's office added in a statement, 'The Prosecutor's Office of Alpes-Maritimes condemns in the strongest possible terms these acts against the integrity of our infrastructures.' Cannes Mayor David Lisnard told the public that officials suspected foul play and referred to the incident as being 'targeted in a criminal act.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Cannes Film Festival, an internationally recognised cultural event , was directly impacted by the outage. Several scheduled screenings were briefly disrupted, but organisers activated backup power sources to maintain programming. 'The Cannes Film Festival announced that it had 'switched to an alternative electricity power supply, which enables us to maintain the events and screenings planned for today in normal conditions, including the closing ceremony,'' according to the official festival statement. Despite the quick recovery, some events were delayed. A festival attendee watching Sound of Falling at the Agnes Varda theatre reported that the film abruptly stopped one and a half hours into the screening, reported The New York Times. Emergency lights illuminated the theater, and after a 20-minute delay, the screening resumed using a backup generator. Also Watch: The wider impact on the city was also significant. Traffic signals failed, prompting police officers to manually direct vehicles at intersections. Firefighters responded to numerous calls about people trapped in elevators. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In the city's Old Quarter, the iconic clock tower froze just past 10 am. Several boutiques along the Croisette, Cannes' luxury promenade, were forced to close. Patrons at one restaurant reportedly applauded when power was restored just before 3 pm Second blackout in Nice: What happened? Just hours after Cannes regained power, a second blackout struck the city of Nice around 2:00 am Sunday. Approximately 45,000 homes were affected. The tram system came to a halt, and although the Nice Côte d'Azur Airport was closed during the incident, it also experienced a temporary power cut. By 5:30 am, energy provider Enedis reported that the electricity supply had been fully restored. However, the damage was already under investigation. The Nice public prosecutor confirmed the launch of a criminal probe for 'organised arson.' According to authorities, the affected facility had signs of deliberate tampering. While investigators have not officially connected the Nice blackout to the Cannes incident, both occurred in close succession and targeted vital infrastructure in the same region. Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi reacted strongly. 'I strongly denounce these malicious acts targeting our country,' he said on X (formerly Twitter). Speaking to the press, he added, 'These actions can have serious consequences, particularly on hospitals.' Estrosi announced that a formal complaint had been filed and ordered increased security around key infrastructure sites. 'As long as the perpetrators haven't been caught, we will remain on high alert,' he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Who is behind it? In a post published on the activist platform a group described as anarchists claimed responsibility for the attacks. 'We are two bands of anarchists,' the post stated. 'We claim responsibility for the attack on electrical installations on the Côte d'Azur.' Authorities have not verified the legitimacy of the claim, and law enforcement has not commented publicly on the post. Investigations remain ongoing in both Cannes and Nice, with no suspects named or arrested as of yet. How is this mirroring a broader trend in Europe? The twin outages in southeastern France come on the heels of similar incidents elsewhere in Europe. On April 28, 2025, a massive blackout swept across mainland Spain and Portugal . The power disruption lasted about 10 hours in most areas and caused widespread chaos in sectors ranging from emergency services to telecommunications. At least eight fatalities were reported — seven in Spain and one in Portugal — due to complications arising from the loss of electricity, including fires caused by candles and carbon monoxide poisoning from improperly used generators. The outage was initially suspected to be a cyberattack. Spain's National Cybersecurity Institute began an investigation, and speculation arose about foreign involvement. The Wall Street Journal noted that the outage bore 'the hallmarks of a sophisticated cyberattack.' However, Spanish electricity grid operator REE later ruled out a cyberattack and attributed the blackout to a grid disconnection in southwestern Spain. A view shows Santa Llogaia electrical sub-station connected to the interconnection grid between France and Spain that tripped after a sudden, large drop in power supply and caused the major blackout in the Iberian Peninsula, in the village of Santa Llogaia d'Alguema, near Figueres, Spain, April 29, 2025. File Image/Reuters 'Citizens must know that the government will get to the bottom of this. Measures will be taken, and all private operators will be held accountable,' Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said, announcing an official commission of inquiry under the Ministry for Ecological Transition. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD European officials have also voiced concern over rising acts of sabotage allegedly carried out by groups linked to foreign governments. Incidents ranging from cyberattacks to arson at supermarkets, graffiti and assaults have been reported across the continent. Although many of these claims remain unproven, they have contributed to an atmosphere of heightened vigilance. France is no stranger to such threats. During the opening day of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, arson attacks on the country's rail infrastructure caused widespread travel delays. Even the busy Heathrow international airport in London, United Kingdom was closed to all flights on March 21 earlier this year after a fire at a nearby electricity substation caused an 'unprecedented' loss of power. With inputs from agencies
DW
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- DW
France: Suspected arson causes major power outage in Nice – DW – 05/25/2025
A day after an outage disrupted the nearby Cannes Film Festival, the power cut was reported in the neighboring southern French city of Nice. The authorities blame "malicious acts." A second major power outage in two days hit southeastern France Sunday, this time in the city of Nice, after an electrical facility was damaged by suspected arson. In a post on X, the mayor of the coastal city, Christian Estrosi, blamed "malicious acts." The Nice public prosecutor said a criminal investigation has been opened for "organized arson." The blackout in Nice started around 2:00 a.m. local time (0:00 a.m. GMT) and left approximately 45,000 households without electricity. The city's trams stopped, and power was briefly cut to Nice Côte d'Azur Airport during its overnight closure. According to the energy provider company Enedis, power was fully restored by 5:30 a.m. The police have not yet determined whether the blackout that affected parts of Nice and two nearby cities is linked to the power outage that disrupted the final day of Cannes' renowned film festival. Blackout hits Cannes during film festival On Saturday, the power cut hit the area around the French Riviera resort of Cannes just after 10:00 a.m. local time (8:00 a.m. GMT) due to a fire that broke out overnight in a substation in the nearby village of Tanneron. Cannes mayor David Lisnard had said officials believe it was "targeted in a criminal act." Police suspect sabotage behind Cannes electricity blackout To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Separately, in Villeneuve-Louet, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) northeast of Cannes, three pillars of an electricity pylon holding up a high-voltage power line were cut, prosecutors from the Alpes-Maritimes department said. "The Prosecutor's Office of Alpes-Maritimes condemns in the strongest possible terms these acts against the integrity of our infrastructures," a statement said. The Cannes Film Festival announced that it had "switched to an alternative electricity power supply, which enables us to maintain the events and screenings planned for today in normal conditions, including the closing ceremony." Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez
DW
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- DW
France: Power outage hits Cannes region during film fest
A major power outage hit the area around the French Riviera resort of Cannes on Saturday, the final day of the Cannes Film Festival. The power cut began just after 10:00 a.m. local time (8:00 a.m. GMT) due to a fire that broke out overnight in a substation in the nearby village of Tanneron. The fire has since been extinguished. Cannes mayor David Lisnard had said officials believe it was "targeted in a criminal act." In Villeneuve–Louet, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) northeast of Cannes, three pillars of an electricity pylon holding up a high-voltage power line were cut, prosecutors from the Alpes-Maritimes department said. "The Prosecutor's Office of Alpes-Maritimes condemns in the strongest possible terms these acts against the integrity of our infrastructures," a statement said. Power gradually returning It added that power supplies were being "progressively" restored. According to grid operator RTE, the power outage affected 160,000 homes in Cannes and the surrounding area. The outage caused traffic lights to fail and led to traffic jams in the glitzy holiday resort. Shops were closed on one of the main streets. Teams from RTE and supplier Enedis were working to restore the network. Festival is not affected by outage The Cannes Film Festival organizers said the closing ceremony would not be affected by the power outage. The festival announced it had "switched to an alternative electricity power supply, which enables us to maintain the events and screenings planned for today in normal conditions, including the closing ceremony." However, morning screenings at the festival's cinemas were briefly interrupted while the supply switched to generators. At the closing ceremony, scheduled to start at 16:40 GMT, French actress Juliette Binoche and her jury will announce the winners of the festival's top prizes. Twenty-two films are competing for the Palme d'Or this year.
Observer
24-05-2025
- Observer
Power pylon vandalised in France's Cannes
NICE: A power substation and an electricity pylon were vandalised overnight in the region around France's Cannes, which has been hit by a major blackout on the final day of its film festival, officials said. A substation in the village of Tanneron which supplies Cannes was targeted by a suspected arson attack, while the legs of a pylon carrying a high-voltage line were cut in Villeneuve-Loubet, prosecutors and local officials said. A fire broke out at the Tanneron substation, about 12 kilometres northwest of central Cannes, at around 2:00 am (0000 GMT), local authorities said. Seven fire engines were called to the scene and the blaze was extinguished at 07:00 am, it said. Cannes Mayor David Lisnard said that it had been "targeted in a criminal act." The pylon in Villeneuve-Loubet, 15 kilometres to the northeast towards the city of Nice, was also sabotaged, with three of its legs found to have been cut, the local prosecutor's office said. Electricity was being restored gradually to the region and AFP journalists saw traffic lights working again near the Cannes film festival headquarters. The power cut of more than five hours knocked out electricity across the town, with 160,000 homes affected, according to grid operator RTE. — AFP
LeMonde
24-05-2025
- LeMonde
Sabotage causes power outage at Cannes hours before Palme d'Or ceremony
A major power outage struck southeastern France on the morning of Saturday, May 24, threatening to jeopardize the Cannes Film Festival's closing celebrations, including the much-anticipated Palme d'Or ceremony. Police said they have opened an investigation into possible arson. Power was restored hours before the ceremony, around 3 pm local time, as music began blasting again from beachfront speakers. The end of the blackout was greeted with loud cheers from locals. Earlier, about 160,000 households in the Alpes-Maritimes department lost electricity after a high-voltage line fell Saturday morning, electricity network operator RTE said on X. The outage came hours after a fire at an electrical substation near Cannes overnight had already weakened the grid. The fire reportedly broke out at the Tanneron substation, about 12 kilometres northwest of central Cannes, at around 2:00 am, local authorities told Agence France-Presse. Seven fire engines were called to the scene and the blaze was extinguished at 07:00 am, it said. Cannes Mayor David Lisnard said that it had been "targeted in a criminal act." The pylon in Villeneuve-Loubet, 15 kilometres to the northeast of the city of Nice, was also sabotaged, with three of its legs found to have been cut, the local prosecutor's office said. "We are looking into the likelihood of a fire being started deliberately," said a police spokesperson for the French national gendarmerie. In a statement, Laurent Hottiaux, the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes department, condemned "serious acts of damage to electrical infrastructures." "All resources are mobilized to identify, track down, arrest and bring to justice the perpetrators of these acts," said Hottiaux. Cannes Film Festival organizers confirmed the outage affected the early activities of Saturday and said the Palais des Festivals – the Croisette's main venue – had switched to an independent power supply. "All scheduled events and screenings, including the Closing Ceremony, will proceed as planned and under normal conditions," the statement said. "At this stage, the cause of the outage has not yet been identified. Restoration efforts are underway." Traffic lights in parts of Cannes and the surrounding city of Antibes stopped working after 10 am, leading to traffic jams and confusion in city centers. Most shops along the Croisette remained closed, and local food kiosks were only accepting cash. Train service in Cannes was also disrupted. Screenings at the Cineum, one of the festival's satellite venues, were briefly suspended, the festival added. The Palme d'Or – the festival's most prestigious prize – was set to be awarded Saturday night, with top contenders including Joachim Trier's family drama Sentimental Value, Jafar Panahi's revenge thriller It Was Just an Accident, Kleber Mendonça Filho's political thriller The Secret Agent, and Óliver Laxe's desert road trip Sirât.
