Two incidents disrupted power distribution systems across Germany on Tuesday, prompting authorities to open sabotage investigations. Multiple explosive devices were discovered at a substation near the Jänschwalde coal-fired power plant in Brandenburg in the northeastern part of the country. While the devices caused short circuits in some cases, they did not result in a widespread power outage.
In a separate incident the same evening, a short circuit at the Bergheim power substation near Cologne in western Germany led to the loss of service on several power lines. Police characterized the Cologne disruption as appearing to be a deliberate act rather than a technical malfunction. The Essen police stated they were investigating it as a criminal matter based on the evidence gathered so far.
RWE, the operator of coal power plants that depend on the Bergheim substation, reported that five coal-fired generation units totaling 4,200 megawatts of capacity were taken offline as a result. The company indicated those units were expected to resume normal operations by the weekend. The two incidents occurred amid heightened security concerns in Germany following recent developments in the country’s infrastructure protection efforts.
Brandenburg Interior Minister Jan Redmann indicated that investigators were considering the possibility of foreign involvement in the Tuesday attacks. He characterized the situation as part of what he described as a broader hybrid threat facing the nation and stated that authorities could not exclude any potential perpetrators at this stage of the investigation. This assessment reflected growing concerns about threats to critical infrastructure during the current period.
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