Overview
- The toppled high-voltage mast near Tolmezzo, which cut power on March 25, forced the Paluzza pump station offline and paused crude deliveries for three days.
- First checks at the site found marked cut points and cleanly sliced steel at the mast base, which points to power-tool use and a planned act.
- Trieste’s anti-terror prosecutor now leads the probe, with Carabinieri units, intelligence services, and Germany’s BKA sharing information across borders.
- With no cameras in the wooded area, investigators are reviewing satellite images and cell-tower data to narrow the window of the sabotage and trace movements.
- Italy’s grid operator Terna said it shut the pump station on March 25 to enable repairs and restored power on March 29, while refineries drew on on-site reserves to avoid production stoppages in a region that relies heavily on the TAL for crude.