There is an ongoing major power blackout in southwest Berlin (primarily affecting districts like Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Lichterfelde, Nikolassee, Wannsee, and parts of Lankwitz) that began on January 3, 2026, following a fire on a cable bridge over the Teltow Canal. This damaged high-voltage cables connected to the Lichterfelde power station.

This has highlighted vulnerabilities in Germany’s energy infrastructure, with people relying on torches, generators, and community support in the cold. If you’re in the area or need specific help resources, check official sites like berlin.de or stromnetz.berlin for updates.

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From No Trick Zone

By P Gosselin 

A humanitarian catastrophe unfolds in Berlin after leftwing fanatics sabotage power grid…

It’s as if the green movement can’t destroy Germany’s energy supply quickly enough. Now fanatics are resorting to sabotage attacks on lifeline power grids.

For the second time in less than four months, lunatic fanatics have sabotaged Berlin’s power supply through a deliberate arson attack on a cable bridge over the Teltow Canal. The fire severely damaged high-voltage cables connected to the nearby Lichterfelde heat and power station. The blackout began in the early hours of Saturday, January 3, 2026, with emergency services first alerted to the cause around 5:45 AM.

45,000 households, 2,200 businesses go cold and dark

The primary areas affected include Zehlendorf, Steglitz, Wannsee, Nikolassee and Lichterfelde. Initially, the outage impacted approximately 45,000 to 50,000 households and over 2,200 businesses. While some residents were reconnected over the weekend, roughly 25,000 to 30,000 households remained without power as of today.

Terrorist attack on fossil fuels, AI centers

A far-left extremist group known as the “Vulkangruppe” (Volcano Group) has claimed responsibility — again — stating they targeted the infrastructure to protest “the fossil fuel economy” and the rising energy demands of AI data centers.

The attack appears to have been timed to cause as much pain and suffering as possible, coinciding with a mid-winter cold snap with temperatures hovering well below freezing. The situation is quickly escalating into a humanitarian disaster as city, state and federal authorities incompentently bungle and dither about.

Services, communications, heat pumps cease

Most homes in the area rely on electric pumps or grid-connected systems for heat; some residents reported indoor temperatures dropping to 13°C (55°F). Mobile phone networks, landlines, and internet services have been disrupted. Elevators are out of order (trapping elderly residents in high-rises), traffic lights are dark, and local trains (S-Bahn) have faced significant delays.

There have already been reports of looting as residents have been forced to leave their homes, making them open targets for thieves.

Numerous schools and shops remain closed. Hospitals initially relied on emergency generators, though most have now been reconnected to the grid.

More days needed to restore power

The grid operator, Stromnetz Berlin, estimates that power will be fully restored by the afternoon of Thursday, January 8, 2026. The delay is due to the complexity of replacing heavy high-voltage cables and the fact that the ground is currently frozen, making repair work more difficult.

In the meantime, the city has opened emergency shelters (such as the Cole Sports Centre and Zehlendorf Town Hall) and the German Armed Forces are providing hot meals to residents.

Harsh criticism: incompetent authorities

Bungling authorities have faced sharp criticism, primarily centered on the city’s lack of disaster preparedness.

There has been significant public outcry over the “chaotic” distribution of information. Outlets like Blackout News and local social media feeds have described the relief efforts as “photos with politicians instead of leadership,” highlighting cases where elderly residents (some in their late 90s) were left in cold emergency shelters on simple cots.

The UVB (Lobby Group for Berlin-Brandenburg Businesses) has criticized the lack of security for critical infrastructure. They pointed out that a single bridge fire could cause millions of euros in damage and shutter over 2,000 businesses, calling for a radical rethink of how the city protects its energy “lifelines.”

2nd major attack in less than 4 months

Meanwhile, members of the opposition in the Berlin House of Representatives have questioned why, after a similar attack in September 2025 and the Tesla factory attack in 2024, the Senate and Stromnetz Berlin had not implemented better physical security or “redundancy” (backup) systems for these vulnerable cable bridges.

Speculation spready over state-sponsored sabotage

Some critics point out that that carrying out an attack of this quality requires a “high level of technical sophistication”, thus leading to speculation on the Internet that insider knowledge or state-sponsored sabotage may have been involved.

Security analysts and grid experts have noted that the attack was not a random act of vandalism. The perpetrators precisely targeted a cable bridge—a known “soft spot” where multiple high-voltage lines are concentrated and exposed.

The Vulkan group’s 2,500-word letter claiming responsibility for the attack contained specific technical details about the incendiary devices and the specific cables targeted, leading the Germany’s State Security Service to classify it as highly credible.