Europe Faces a New Critical Infrastructure Problem: Attacks Target the Power Grid, Not Just Power Plants

France: Blackouts That Didn't Start in Power Plants

In recent weeks, extensive power outages hit southern France. In the Cannes area, approximately 160,000 households were left without power, and another incident in Nice deprived tens of thousands of consumers. French authorities are investigating the possibility of intentional damage to the infrastructure.

Crucially, the problem did not originate in power plants. The affected areas were distribution and transformer stations—sites almost invisible to the average person but absolutely vital for the system's operation. According to experts, this is where the center of gravity for risk is shifting.

Energy as the Foundation of the State

"Without functional energy, no other critical infrastructure sector can operate," says Tibor Straka, President of the Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic (AKI SR).

While hospitals, banks, transport, and telecommunications function as separate systems, they are all built on one foundation: electricity. Energy is therefore increasingly described as a "super-sector" of the modern state—not in terms of hierarchy, but because it connects all other areas and serves as the bedrock of their functionality. If disrupted, the consequences are not limited to one sector but gradually impact the entire system.

This is why, within the European framework, energy is designated as an area of "overriding public interest." In practice, it is not just one part of the infrastructure but the system upon which all others are directly dependent. In this context, AKI SR has long emphasized the need for a coordinated approach to increasing infrastructure resilience while providing the professional background for cross-sectoral discussion.

Converging Threats

The security environment has fundamentally changed in recent years. Threats no longer function in isolation; they overlap and amplify one another. Cyber-attacks, physical sabotage, criminal activities, and geopolitical pressures now form an interconnected system of risks.

An incident is no longer one-dimensional. Physical damage to infrastructure can affect digital control systems. Conversely, a cyber-incident can create the conditions for physical interference with equipment. Even a local problem can quickly become a systemic disruption with a cascading effect. Energy has rightly moved to the center of attention as one of the most sensitive points of the entire infrastructure.

Slovakia: Risks Reflected in Official Documents

The Report on the Security of the Slovak Republic for 2025, currently in the inter-ministerial review process, confirms that the security landscape is changing. The document highlights the growing sophistication of threats toward critical infrastructure, the convergence of cyber and physical risks, and the increasing importance of protecting energy and strategic systems during times of geopolitical tension.

Conclusion: Energy as the Tipping Point for Modern Risks



The outages in France demonstrated one thing clearly: the most vulnerable parts of the energy sector may no longer be large, visible facilities, but inconspicuous grid nodes—transformers, substations, and technical infrastructure points that the public rarely notices.

Security analysis is now focusing on these points—not as technical details, but as the places where the stability of the entire system is decided. Building resilient critical infrastructure today is not just a matter of technology; it is primarily about cooperation, expertise, and collective preparedness—values that Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic has long promoted as the foundation of national security and stability.