Cable Sabotage Leaves Southwest Berlin Facing Extended Power Outages

Thousands of residents in the southwest districts of Berlin are enduring another day without electricity following a targeted arson attack on critical power infrastructure. The incident, which authorities have classified as a politically motivated act, has resulted in widespread power outages affecting households, businesses, and essential public services amid harsh winter conditions.

As Berlin enters the first full week of the new year, significant portions of the Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough, including the neighborhoods of Nikolassee, Zehlendorf, Wannsee, and Lichterfelde, remain without power and heating. The outage has led to the closure of numerous schools and childcare facilities, disrupting the return to normal routines after the holiday season. Emergency childcare options have been arranged in unaffected schools, but long-term solutions remain uncertain as officials continue to assess the situation.

For those unable to seek shelter with relatives or friends in other parts of the city, the blackout has posed serious challenges. Residents are contending with freezing temperatures, lack of heating, and limited access to warm food. Emergency services, including police, fire departments, and humanitarian organizations, are providing assistance where possible. The Bundeswehr has been deployed to support relief operations, and the city has declared a major emergency status to coordinate resources and response efforts.

According to Stromnetz Berlin, the city's power grid operator, the damage to the network is extensive and repairs are proving to be complex. Partial restoration has been achieved, with 14,000 households and 500 businesses reconnected, but full power is not expected to return until later in the week. The initial outage affected approximately 45,000 homes and more than 2,200 businesses, underscoring the scale of the disruption.

The incident originated from an arson attack on power cables located on a bridge crossing the Teltow Canal, which supplies the Lichterfelde power plant. Investigations have confirmed that the act was politically motivated, with a group claiming responsibility and stating their intent to target the fossil fuel energy sector rather than cause widespread blackouts. Authorities have received a statement from the group, which has been verified as authentic, indicating the attack was a form of protest against reliance on fossil fuels.

Despite efforts to mitigate the impact, the outage has affected critical infrastructure. Several major hospitals in the affected districts were able to avoid evacuation due to backup generators and have since been reconnected to the grid. However, many care facilities and individuals reliant on home medical equipment continue to face significant difficulties. Emergency shelters have been established to support vulnerable residents during the outage.

Law enforcement is actively seeking witnesses and gathering information to advance the investigation. Officials from the Berlin Senate have acknowledged the severity of the incident and are working in coordination with federal agencies to restore services and ensure public safety. The long-term implications for energy security and infrastructure protection are expected to be a topic of ongoing discussion among policymakers.

This incident highlights the vulnerabilities of urban infrastructure to targeted attacks and the cascading effects such disruptions can have on daily life, especially during periods of severe weather. Authorities are urging residents to remain patient and follow guidance from emergency services as efforts to restore power continue over the coming days.