Berlin power outage for 45,000 homes blamed on ‘politically motivated’ attack

The incident saw a fire erupt on a cable bridge over the Teltow Cana

Steam leaves a cooling tower of the Lichterfelde gas-fired power plant near a cable bridge crossing the Teltow canal in Berlin, Germany, on March 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File) (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Thousands of homes and businesses in south-west Berlin are facing prolonged power outages after high-voltage lines were damaged in what city authorities have described as a "politically motivated attack" by "left-wing extremists."

The incident, which occurred on Saturday morning, saw a fire erupt on a cable bridge over the Teltow Canal, close to the Lichterfelde power plant. Initially, the disruption left more than 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses across four districts without electricity. Heating and internet services were also significantly affected by the widespread outage.

Franziska Giffey, the city's Senator for Economic Affairs, described the incident as “a particularly severe power outage affecting tens of thousands of households and businesses, including care facilities, hospitals, numerous social institutions and companies.”

While power was restored to thousands of households by Sunday, many others are likely to be left in the dark until Thursday, authorities estimate.

Emergency vehicles from the aid organization "Die Johanniter" pick up residents of a retirement home in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2025, during a power cut in south-west Berlin after a fire on a cable bridge. (Michael Ukas/dpa via AP) ((c) Copyright 2026, dpa (www.dpa.de). Alle Rechte vorbehalten)

Snowy weather and freezing temperatures has slowed down efforts to restore electricity and made life extra difficult for those affected.

The incident is being investigated as a possible act of arson. Authorities compared it to a similar power outage last September in southeast Berlin, when radical activists claimed responsibility.

Authorities said they were working to confirm the authenticity of a letter claiming responsibility for the latest incident.

The perpetrators were “clearly left-wing extremists," Berlin’s Mayor Kai Wegner was cited as saying by a German news agency. “It is unacceptable that once again clearly left-wing extremists have attacked our power grid and thereby endangered human lives,” Wegner said.