Investigation Launched After Fire in an Electrical Transformer in the Rousset Industrial Zone.
During the night of Monday, June 1, an “act of vandalism,” according to city officials, caused a fire in the power transformer located in the Rousset industrial park. A section of the fence surrounding the transformer was cut through to gain access to the site, according to city officials. This vandalism caused a power outage that affected three companies in the area [where semiconductor manufacturers STMicroelectronics, Microchip Technology, and their suppliers* are located]. A power transformer is a high-voltage electrical component essential to the operation of power grids. As soon as the incident was discovered, the municipal police intervened to gather initial evidence relevant to the investigation.
Footage from the municipal video surveillance system was quickly made available to investigators following a request from the gendarmerie, which has been tasked with the investigation currently being conducted by the investigative unit. A similar act is also reported to have been committed against the power transformer located on Chemin de la Cairanne. The town of Rousset states that it condemns in the strongest possible terms these acts of vandalism, which damage equipment essential to the functioning of the region and directly harm the businesses involved.
* Note of Sans Nom: “STMicroelectronics” has been present in the PACA region since 1964, when the site was located in Aix-en-Provence. In 1979, as part of a partnership between Saint-Gobain and the American company National Semiconductor, the Eurotechnique site in Rousset was established; it later became STMicroelectronics following the merger between Thomson Semiconductors and SGS Microelettronica in 1987. Today, the ST site in Rousset employs approximately 2,700 people. It features a large industrial facility for manufacturing 8-inch wafers, an electrical testing facility, and design and development centers specializing in integrated circuits for the automotive industry, secure smart cards, high-performance microcontrollers, RFID, and more.
La Provence, June 5, 2026 (excerpt)