Nearly 1.2 million households were without electricity yesterday, from 5:11 PM to 6:09 PM in the PACA region. Three departments in particular were affected by this power outage: Bouches-du-Rhône, Var, and Alpes-Maritimes. According to the Bouches-du-Rhône prefecture, 800,000 households were without power in this department. There were nearly 315,000 in Var and almost as many in Alpes-Maritimes.
According to firefighters, a fire was reported for unknown reasons in the northwest of the Bouches-du-Rhône, specifically in the forested area between Aurons and Pelissanne. For safety reasons, firefighters requested the deactivation of a 400,000-volt high-voltage line under which the fire had spread, allowing the deployment of water-bombing planes to the site. This caused the major power outage.
300 firefighters and 80 land vehicles were mobilized to try to extinguish the fire. They were supported by a significant aerial rescue operation: six Canadairs, two Trackers, and two water-bombing helicopters.
By 6:15 PM, one of the two high-voltage line cables was still cut, but power was almost fully restored everywhere. Local power production groups, particularly from Durance, had taken over. This reignites the debate on the necessity of a second high-voltage line to supply the PACA region. An additional 250,000-volt line is expected to appear in 2015. This goal is considered by Eric Ciotti, Deputy and President of the General Council of Alpes-Maritimes, as too delayed given the urgency of the situation. He thus declared, “Securing the electrical supply of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region is more than ever a national priority that requires the implementation of urgent actions, quicker than anticipated, by Réseau Transport d’Electricité”.
