Monday, January 5
Around 6 am on Saturday, perpetrators committed arson on a cable bridge over the Teltow canal near the Lichterfelde power plant. This caused a huge electricity failure in over 45,000 households in Zehlendorf, Wannsee, Lichterfelde and Nikolassee.
The extremist activists Vulkangruppe claimed responsibility for the attack, stating, “We successfully sabotaged the gas power plant in Berlin-Lichterfelde tonight.” They called it an “act of self-defence and international solidarity with all those who protect the earth and life” and claimed the target of the attack to be the fossil fuel industry.
It meant widespread electricity failures impacting mobile phone networks and household heating, a problem exacerbated by temperatures just below freezing. The fire brigade helped to evacuate nursing homes and transfer hospital patients.
Now several emergency shelters, heating rooms and contact points have been established. The Berlin Senate also offered lower prices for hotel rooms for those affected, from €70 per double room.
Today, 30,000 households and 1700 commercial customers remain without electricity, and 17 schools will remain closed until Wednesday. Repairs are expected to last until Thursday.
Berlin’s mayor, Kai Wegner (CDU), has described the attack on the electricity supply as “terrorism”, and the top candidate for the Left, Elif Eralp, has called for better crisis preparedness.
