A major power outage continues in southwestern Berlin, which began on January 3 due to a fire on a cable bridge over the Teltow Canal. Thousands of households and businesses remain without electricity, many also without heating in freezing temperatures and snowfall. Full restoration is not expected until January 8 at the earliest.
According to the network operator Stromnetz Berlin, initially around 45,000 to 50,000 households and more than 2,200 businesses in the districts of Lichterfelde, Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Nikolaussee, Wannsee, and Zehlendorf were left without power. By the evening of January 4, power had been restored to approximately 14,000 households and hundreds of businesses, including several hospitals. However, a significant portion of residents are still in the dark.
The cause was a fire on a cable bridge near the Lichterfelde thermal power station, which damaged several high-voltage cables. Police are investigating the incident as arson. The left-wing extremist group “Vulkangruppe” (Volcano Group), known for previous actions, including an attack on the Tesla factory in 2024 and a similar blackout in September 2025, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a statement published online, the group called the action an “act of resistance” against “energy greed,” climate change, and AI. The activists said that their target was the gas-fired power plant, not to cut off electricity to residents, and apologized to the “less fortunate” victims.
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner called the incident “terrorism” and a “misanthropic attack,” emphasizing the threat to vulnerable groups — the elderly, hospital patients, and families. A state of emergency has been declared, and the THW (technical relief), Red Cross, fire department, and even the Bundeswehr have been called in. Heating stations, emergency shelters, and generators have been set up.
Cold weather is making the situation worse: nighttime temperatures are dropping below zero, elevators in high-rise buildings are not working, and mobile communications have been disrupted. Schools and kindergartens in the affected areas are closed.
This is the second such incident in a short period of time, raising questions about the protection of critical infrastructure in Germany.