Tens of thousands of residents in Berlin left without power due to sabotage
A large-scale power outage caused by sabotage has been ongoing for several days in southwestern Berlin. As of the evening of January 6, approximately 25,500 homes and about 1,200 businesses remain without power. This was reported by Deutsche Welle, citing the city's power grid operator, Stromnetz Berlin.
Restoration work at the site of the cable bridge arson near the CHP plant in Berlin. Photo: Britta Pedersen/dpa/picture alliance
According to Berlin's mayor Kai Wegner, the power supply failure affected about 100,000 residents of the capital, which is almost 3% of the city's population. As a result of the emergency, 20 schools are closed, and out of 74 nursing homes, electricity has already been restored in 72.
The cause of the blackout was the arson of a cable bridge over the Teltow Canal near the Lichterfelde combined heat and power plant. The left-wing radical group Vulkan claimed responsibility for the sabotage. According to preliminary data, five high-voltage and ten medium-voltage cables were destroyed or damaged. Repair work is planned to be completed by the evening of January 8. Immediately after the sabotage, about 50,000 households and 2,000 businesses were left without electricity.
Vulkan representatives stated that the attack's goal was "fossil energy," calling their actions an act of "self-defense and international solidarity." They also claimed to sympathize with less affluent residents of the area.
Berlin authorities called what happened an act of terrorism. Mayor Wegner emphasized the vulnerability of Germany's critical infrastructure and the need for better protection.
Similar attacks have occurred before: last September, left-wing extremists left about 50,000 homes in southeastern Berlin without power, and in 2024, Vulkan's sabotage in Brandenburg led to damage at a Tesla factory.
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