Power Restored in Southeast Berlin Following Major Blackout

The extensive power outage that affected the southeastern region of Berlin has finally come to an end. After approximately 60 hours, all customers in the area have been reconnected to the electrical grid, according to the network operator Stromnetz. This outage marked the longest disruption in power supply in the region in over 25 years.

Initially, around 50,000 households were impacted by the blackout, which began early on a Tuesday morning. The previous significant power failure occurred in 2019 in Köpenick, where over 30,000 homes were left without electricity for roughly 30 hours.

The root cause of this recent outage was identified as an extremist arson attack that damaged multiple high-voltage power lines at the base of two electricity pylons located in Berlin-Johannisthal, within the Treptow-Köpenick district. Firefighters took about an hour to extinguish the blaze, which had significant consequences on the surrounding infrastructure.

In response to the crisis, Stromnetz implemented a temporary solution over the past two days, establishing a connection between two unaffected power lines near the damaged pylons. Emergency services, including firefighters, police, and the Technical Relief Organization (THW), collaborated effectively to manage the situation.

The outage also had a ripple effect on various public services and facilities, including S-Bahn stations, shopping centers, and numerous shops, as well as nursing homes. Several schools were forced to remain closed due to the lack of power. Communication networks were severely disrupted, making it difficult for residents to use their mobile phones, including emergency calls to services like 112 and 110.

Repair work on the damaged high-voltage cables commenced on Tuesday but proved to be a challenging and time-consuming process. Investigators have indicated that the arson attack is believed to be the work of left-wing extremist individuals. An online claim of responsibility has been deemed credible, suggesting a link to a similar incident at a Tesla factory site in Brandenburg earlier this year.

Authorities are focusing their investigation on domestic suspects, emphasizing that these individuals acted with considerable criminal intent and expertise.