Nearly 45,000 people in and around Nice, southern France, were left in the dark on Sunday after an electrical transformer was deliberately set on fire overnight, causing a major power outage. This disruption comes just a day after another significant blackout hit the region, cutting electricity to around 160,000 homes and affecting the nearby town of Cannes — which was in the midst of its famous international film festival.

Two groups, calling themselves “bands of anarchists,” have claimed responsibility for these attacks. In a statement posted to an activist network on Sunday, they said their sabotage targeted electrical infrastructure not only to disrupt the Cannes Film Festival but also to cut power to a nearby aerospace company, Cannes airport, and other critical industrial, military, and technological sites. While this claim has yet to be independently verified, French prosecutors are investigating the incidents.

Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice, condemned the acts strongly in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He announced that both national and municipal police have been deployed to investigate the transformer fire and said surveillance footage from the city’s monitoring center will aid the inquiry. “I strongly denounce these malicious acts that affect our country,” Estrosi said.

What Happened Before the Outage?

The power cut on Sunday followed a previous outage on Saturday across the Alpes-Maritimes area, which includes Cannes and its surroundings. From about 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. local time, around 160,000 homes were left without power. Officials suspect sabotage was behind the blackout.

Sébastien Leroy, mayor of Mandelieu-La Napoule — a town just southwest of Cannes — described the event as a “double act of sabotage.” Early Saturday morning, a fire broke out at an electrical substation in the nearby town of Tanneron, followed by significant damage to an electricity pylon.

Laurent Hottiaux, prefect of Alpes-Maritimes, issued a statement condemning the incidents as “serious acts of damage,” calling for a thorough investigation.

Impact on the Cannes Film Festival

The power outages posed a real threat to the Cannes Film Festival, which was wrapping up its 78th edition on Saturday night. The festival’s closing ceremony, where top awards were announced, took place as scheduled thanks to swift action.

According to FranceInfo, the Palais des Festivals — the main venue — switched to an independent power supply, ensuring all events and screenings could continue without interruption. Though two screenings were briefly halted for about five minutes Saturday morning, they quickly resumed.

Festival organizers expressed relief that, despite the disruption, the event’s finale went ahead “under normal conditions,” maintaining the glamour and tradition Cannes is known for.

What’s Next?

The incidents have stirred concerns over security and the vulnerability of critical infrastructure in the region. Authorities continue to investigate the deliberate nature of these power cuts, with national and local police collaborating closely.

As the probe unfolds, residents remain hopeful for swift action to prevent further disruptions. Mayor Estrosi’s strong words reflect the growing frustration over these attacks, which impact not just daily life but also major cultural and industrial events.

This story will be updated as new information becomes available.

Source: CNN – ‘Malicious act’ causes power cut in Nice, in second day of outages across southern France

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A rare and widespread blackout swept across Spain and Portugal on Monday, disrupting life for tens of millions and raising fresh concerns about the stability of Europe’s interconnected energy grid.

Around 12:30 p.m. local time, Spain lost 15 gigawatts of electricity—roughly 60% of its national demand—leaving major cities and rural areas alike in the dark. The blackout lasted well into the night and affected essential services like hospitals, public transportation, cell networks, and businesses across both countries.

Portugal experienced similar outages, marking one of the most significant electricity failures in Europe in recent memory.

New data suggests the grid may have shown early signs of trouble. Bob Marshall, CEO of U.S.-based Whisker Labs, reported abnormal voltage fluctuations from power sensors installed in homes around Madrid starting as early as 9:30 a.m.

By noon, the instability had worsened dramatically, with voltage swinging wildly every 1.5 seconds. “The grid was struggling. Something was wrong,” said Marshall.

The exact cause remains unclear. Spain’s grid operator, Red Eléctrica de España, confirmed two key “disconnection events” occurred prior to the outage. The first was recoverable—but the second triggered a cascade that also impacted France’s grid connection.

“It’s too early to pinpoint one root cause,” said Eamonn Lannoye of the Electric Power Research Institute. Factors like grid maintenance, technical failures, or a sudden imbalance in supply and demand could all be in play.

Power grids operate on a delicate balance between supply and demand. Even slight mismatches can destabilize the system. If one area goes down, the failure can ripple outward, affecting neighboring regions—even across borders.

“It’s like riding a tandem bike,” explained energy law professor Enric Bartlett. “Everyone must pedal in sync. Otherwise, you fall.”

Spain and Portugal both generate a majority of their electricity from renewable sources. While this is generally seen as a strength, the intermittent nature of solar and wind can pose challenges if not properly balanced with stored or backup energy.

Still, experts caution against blaming green energy for the blackout. “There’s no clear evidence yet that solar power caused the outage,” said Lannoye. “We shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”

Because Europe’s energy systems are highly connected, Spain’s grid failure triggered protective shutdowns in neighboring countries. France, which shares a major power link with Spain, experienced some disruptions after the interconnector between the two nations tripped during the outage.

Both Spain and Portugal have ruled out a cyberattack as the cause. Spain’s High Court has launched an investigation to get to the bottom of what went wrong.

As more details emerge, one thing is clear: even in regions not typically prone to blackouts, power grids are complex, sensitive systems. Monday’s outage serves as a stark reminder of the challenges in managing modern energy infrastructure—especially as the world transitions to cleaner but more variable sources of power.

Source: AP News – What we know about Monday’s sweeping power outage in Spain and Portugal

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Millions of Cubans have been without electricity for days as the government struggled to restore nationwide power service after a massive blackout plunged the country into darkness on Friday. Then Hurricane Oscar hit the eastern tip of the island on Sunday.

The collapse of Cuba’s aging power grid has paralyzed an already-crippled economy, with rolling outages affecting everything from running water to the operation of banks, ATMs or debit-card terminals, sparking severe shortages of cash and halting distribution of basic goods and services such as drinking water, residents say.

Millions of Cuban households are seeing their food spoil because of a lack of refrigeration, and people can’t use air conditioning, fans or electric stoves on the tropical island. Cooking gas is also scarce.

In some impoverished districts of the capital Havana, residents are resorting to cooking with coal or firewood on streets and sidewalks. Driving is risky because traffic lights don’t work, residents say. Public transport has also been severely affected because of fuel shortages.

“It’s just like a war economy,” said Clemente Morgado, an Havana resident whose house was without electricity for more than 30 hours. Elsewhere in the city people have gone more than two days without power. At night, many of them have been banging pots in protest, residents say.

The government on Friday declared a state of emergency and halted all nonvital services. It ordered the closure of schools and universities, bars and nightclubs and nonessential workplaces. Hospitals and food-processing centers were permitted to operate, while most state workers were sent home. Authorities required the setup of worker brigades to protect government facilities and prevent looting.

Source
https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/cubas-government-struggles-to-restore-power-after-nationwide-blackout-3700c74d

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