More power cuts expected in Nice after large scale weekend sabotage

Several ‘micro’ powercuts have hit Nice at the start of the week, affecting both residential and business areas of the city. 

Quarters including Fabron, Carras, and business-oriented Arénas were all affected by powercuts on Monday (May 26), with several people taking to social media to complain. 

“This morning in the Arénas offices there was no [power], so people had to go back and work from home,” said one person on the “J’ai Nice dans la peau” Facebook page.

It left several feeling concerned that there was a connection with the major powercuts seen over the weekend in the south of France, which affected over 200,000 homes in the Cannes, Nice, and the surrounding areas. 

The cause of these attacks – including a fire at an electrical substation in a suburb of western Nice – are being treated as criminal acts by local authorities.

However, French grid operator Enedis reassured people that the latest round of cuts was not an act of vandalism like those seen over the weekend, although they were connected in some way.

The operator ‘spotted’ the incoming outages through their detection system but confirmed they were due to an entirely different reason. 

Monday’s cuts were “the consequence of the repair work in progress on the substation burnt down… on Boulevard Paul Montel [on Sunday],” said an Enedis spokesperson (quoted in local media Nice Matin). 

The grid manager has stated that further mini-powercuts are possible in the south-east of France in the coming days as the network is bolstered following last weekend’s attacks. 

In the event of your property being impacted by a powercut, Enedis may send a text to inform you. 

Read more: French power cuts: how can we know if power is back OK at second home?