When you look at the electrical infrastructure of the Vieux Port de Cannes in detail, you realise the diversity of forms that port activities can take. The Côte d’Azur Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which holds the concession to operate the infrastructure of the Vieux Port de Cannes, divides it into 6 main activities:
- Yachting (724 jobs),
- Cruise,
- Coastal (4 transport companies),
- Careening (5000 m²),
- Fret,
- Events.
The port covers an area of 23 hectares, including 15 hectares of water. It has 2,000 linear metres of quays and over 800 linear metres of pontoons. 
Thierry PAVIOT, electrician at the Vieux Port de Cannes, took us through the intricacies of a unique and constantly evolving electrical distribution network, at a pivotal time for the Nice Côte d’Azur Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The concession contract for the port of Cannes was due to expire in 2021. Has it been renewed? The Nice Côte d’Azur Chamber of Commerce has been awarded the concession contract until the end of 2021. The Public Service Delegation (PSD) for the Port of Cannes currently includes the commercial operation of the port (diving club, rentals, etc.), yachting, cruises, careening, events and parking. There are therefore many facets to the port business. The current call for tenders may include changes to the scope of the port. Transformation projects do exist, but they are still subject to the secrecy of the call for tenders. However, the recent tenders won by the Nice Côte d’Azur Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the concessionaire’s experience in other Côte d’Azur ports (Villefranche, Golfe-Juan, Nice, Antibes) are reassuring criteria for the public authorities. How is the electrical infrastructure at the Port of Cannes managed? There are two contracts with the electricity supplier. The port is interfaced with these two networks via several HV/LV transformer stations. The first HV loop serves three low-voltage main switchboards arranged in a triangle for yachting, pleasure boating and events, while the second serves two other low-voltage main switchboards for the quayside (commercial area) and the area reserved for careening. 
The distinctive features of the Old Port of Cannes are twofold:
- The choice of innovative bollard technology,
- The omnipresence of the events sector.
Managing berths is the most natural activity for a marina. What are the special features of the berths installed in Cannes? There is a wide range of dockside power points with different power ratings. The MARECHAL® plugs installed to supply pleasure boats have ratings ranging from 16 A (DSN1 model) to 400 A (PFQ4 model). On the Albert Edouard jetty, where the largest boats are moored, there are 26 quay terminals. 22 can deliver a current of 250 A, while 4 deliver up to 400 A. The bollards are specifically designed for the Port of Cannes. They are concrete bollards with a modular power supply trolley locked inside. This carriage allows the power available at the output of the bollards to be varied. By simply replacing the trolley, two connection points limited to 125 A can be made available instead of one limited to 250 A. The operation of substituting one trolley for another is secured by a trapped key device between each terminal and the corresponding feeder on the main LV board.
For the past three years, our trucks have been equipped with a remote meter reading system. The system interface is an application specifically developed for the Port of Cannes. This remote meter-reading system saves the Harbour Master’s Office’s Yachting Department time and enables them to accurately monitor boat consumption. The electric bollards on the Quai St Pierre opposite work in a similar way. It’s just that the trolleys on one quay are not compatible with those on the other. When we stopped at some of the bollards on the Albert Edouard pier, we noticed that in several places the electrical cabinets were set back from the quays. Thierry PAVIOT tells us that these are power points dedicated to the events that take place in the Vieux Port de Cannes throughout the year. How are these events organised, and what does this mean for the energy infrastructure? The most notable point about the events sector is that we need to be able to distribute high levels of power almost everywhere in the port. The sector also requires the port to have a modular structure both for accommodating yachts and for the associated infrastructure.
Two major events are taking place:
- The Cannes Film Festival, usually held in May, will take place this year in July 2021.
- The Cannes Yachting Festival boat show in September
For the Festival and other events taking place on land, the CCI provides a number of hatches or distribution cabinets. Some of the hatches are particularly special. The hatches in the PANTIERO area were upgraded 2 years ago. Each hatch has been upgraded to deliver 400 A (instead of 250 A previously) and a new hatch has been built. These traps are specifically designed to adapt to the pre-existing civil engineering in the area. This required electrical infrastructure work and the laying of new cables. The starting points at the transformers have been modified, so a complete overhaul of the site’s electrical topology has been necessary. 
To coincide with the Cannes Yachting Festival in September, the harbour is being completely redeveloped. The challenge facing the CCI’s technical services is to make the various floating pontoons in the harbour disconnectable. MARECHAL® plug strips at the head of the purlins will ensure that the pontoons are “plug and play”. 
