Massive Power Outage in the Alpes-Maritimes: 160,000 Households Left in the Dark, Malicious Acts Blamed

A major power outage hit Cannes and surrounding areas on Saturday, May 24 — the closing day of the Cannes Film Festival. The disruption was caused by deliberate damage to electrical infrastructure. While power was fully restored by late afternoon, the incident had widespread effects throughout the region, halting train traffic, disrupting mobile networks, and prompting an exceptional emergency response.

Sabotage at Two Strategic Sites

The chain of events began in the early hours of Saturday morning, around 4:30 a.m., when a fire broke out at the Saint-Cassien electrical substation in Tanneron (Var). Though quickly extinguished, the blaze cut power to about 45,000 households. Initial findings pointed to arson: the fence around the facility had been cut and traces of flammable substances were found.

A few hours later, another act of sabotage was discovered in Villeneuve-Loubet. Three of the four legs of a high-voltage transmission tower had been sawn through. As a safety measure, RTE (the French electricity transmission operator) took the line offline. This second incident triggered a massive outage, affecting up to 160,000 households across Cannes, Antibes, Grasse, Mandelieu, and other towns along the coast and inland.

Gradual Return to Normal

RTE and Enedis teams were deployed immediately. By around 4 p.m., power had been restored to 60,000 customers. Full service was re-established by approximately 5 p.m. According to local authorities, more than a hundred emergency interventions were needed, including to free people trapped in elevators.

Train service was severely disrupted throughout the day between Les Arcs, Antibes, and Grasse, with significant delays and cancellations. Service gradually resumed in the evening. The Orange mobile network also experienced outages, as some of its relay towers exceeded their emergency battery life.

Cannes Film Festival: Closing Ceremony Maintained Under Tight Security

Despite the disruptions, the Cannes Film Festival’s closing ceremony went ahead as scheduled. As a precaution, three generators had been installed to power the Palais des Festivals. Only the morning screening of Sirât by Oliver Laxe was interrupted. Some festivalgoers also experienced patchy mobile coverage in parts of the city.

Investigation Underway and Political Outrage

Two separate investigations have been launched by the public prosecutors of Grasse and Draguignan. The Grasse prosecutor confirmed the incidents were “malicious acts.” Alpes-Maritimes prefect Laurent Hottiaux condemned the events as “attacks on the integrity of our infrastructure,” but stopped short of linking them to a specific threat targeting the festival. He emphasized that heightened security measures remain in place.

Political reactions were swift. Departmental council president Charles-Ange Ginésy called it a “criminal act that could have had serious consequences,” while Éric Ciotti described it as a “clear act of terrorism.” Cannes mayor David Lisnard urged authorities to track down and harshly punish those responsible, as well as any accomplices.

Wake-Up Call for Infrastructure Security

Cannes City Hall activated emergency generators early Saturday to secure critical facilities such as the crematorium and healthcare centers. Water supply and sanitation networks were also checked. In Antibes, the outage caused several wastewater treatment plants to shut down temporarily, prompting a precautionary closure of many beaches until the following day.

While material damage was limited, the outage exposed the vulnerability of vital electrical infrastructure to targeted sabotage. Several regional leaders are now calling for a full audit of power installations along the Côte d’Azur to assess their security and prevent future incidents.