The French authorities are taking extra security measures around the electricity network after the southeast experienced a power outage again on Saturday night to Sunday. The police again think that there was intent involved.
“I strongly condemn these malicious acts that affect our country,” the mayor of Nice writes on X.
On the night of Saturday to Sunday, a fire broke out in an electrical installation in the French city. As a result, 45,000 households in Nice and nearby places were without electricity. The power supply was restored this morning around 6:00 AM, according to French media such as .
It is still unclear exactly what happened, but the French authorities assume arson. The mayor of Nice has announced that the city will file a complaint. There will also be extra supervision of the electrical installations.
On Saturday, the southeast of France also struggled with a major power outage. At that time, about 160,000 households were temporarily without power. Cannes, where the annual film festival took place, was also affected. Thanks to an emergency provision, the films in Cannes were running again quickly. By the end of the afternoon, all households had electricity again.
The cause of the major power outage on Saturday is still unclear. However, the French authorities also assume intent there. On the night of Friday to Saturday, a fire broke out in a high-voltage substation in the municipality of Tanneron. That was probably ignited. In addition, three of the four pillars of a high-voltage mast were sawn off. Whether the two incidents are related is still unclear.