Major storms, such as Austen and Boelo in October 2026 or Ciarán in November 2023, can cause significant damage to the electrical grid. Enedis intervenes rapidly to repair lines, replace damaged equipment, and rebuild infrastructure to restore power as quickly as possible.
As soon as safety conditions permit, Enedis teams assess the damage and secure the sites. For particularly affected areas, reconstruction work is necessary. The goal is to re-supply homes, starting with main lines, then village by village, and finally house by house in dispersed areas. One week after storm Ciarán, 96% of homes without power were reconnected, thanks to a general mobilization and the use of exceptional resources like the Force d’Intervention Rapide Électricité (FIRE).
Pierre-Olivier Courtois, reconstruction project manager at the regional directorate of Bretagne, emphasizes the importance of reliable diagnostics and data for rapid restoration. The deployment of helicopters and drones is valuable, but on-foot inspections are necessary when roads are cut off and access to infrastructure is difficult. The FIRE intervenes as reinforcement in major crises, deploying personnel and equipment in record time to help reconnect customers.
The FIRE comprises 3,500 technicians and 11 logistics platforms, enabling the deployment of 3,000 generator sets. Following the Austen and Boelo storms in October 2026, the FIRE reinforced the teams already present in the affected regions. On average, 90% of cut-off customers are reconnected within 48 hours.
The intervention process includes three stages: damage assessment on high and low voltage networks (2-3 days), dispatching teams to the site (sometimes by helicopter if roads are blocked), and carrying out the repair (temporary or permanent repair in a few hours).
Enedis focuses on anticipation, with specific crisis management plans and constant monitoring to qualify risks. Technical choices incorporate major risks related to climate change, with networks designed to withstand winds over 200 km/h and snow/ice loads over 12 kg/m.
