BERLIN (AP) – Authorities said Wednesday that two incidents that disrupted power distribution systems in eastern and western Germany were being investigated as possible acts of sabotage, with one also being examined for possible links to terrorism.
Multiple explosive devices were found Tuesday morning at a substation near the Jänschwalde coal-fired power plant in Brandenburg in northeastern Germany. Hours later, a short circuit knocked power lines out of service at the Bergheim power substation near Cologne in western Germany – an incident described by security officials as a deliberate act.
Neither incident affected the general power supply in their areas. Authorities are investigating the incidents but have not named any suspects, nor have they said if they could be connected. They say possible suspects could include a foreign power or left-wing extremists.
The developments come as Germany is on high alert after the government on Tuesday blamed Russia for an attempted attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport on Aug. 4 using a drone laden with explosives.
“A substation is the nerve center of our daily lives. Anyone who attacks it isn’t just attacking a tin roof – they’re attacking our country, our economy, our daily lives, and all of us,” said Herbert Reul, the interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state, where Bergheim is located. “Critical infrastructure is the Achilles’ heel of our society. Perhaps we haven’t taken this issue seriously enough over the years.”
Brandenburg police said Wednesday on X that they had launched an investigation into the suspected formation of a terrorist organization “in conjunction with causing an explosion involving explosives and the destruction of important work equipment.”
“What we are currently experiencing is a hybrid threat and we therefore cannot rule out the possibility that foreign powers are behind it,” Brandenburg Interior Minister Jan Redmann told public broadcaster ARD.
Emergency responders searched the area for evidence, prompting road closures, authorities said Wednesday. Large groups of investigators combed through the area for clues.
Officials described the explosives as “rocketlike objects equipped with a propellant charge” similar to fireworks. They said there were more than a dozen, but that only one managed to carry a cable into the high-voltage power line to establish a conductive connection to the ground, the German news agency dpa reported.
Bright flashes of light could be seen along several power lines at the Bergheim power substation near Cologne in western Germany on Tuesday evening, said Reul.
“It wasn’t a broken switch, it was intentional. It was a criminal act,” Reul said. “We are investigating two possibilities: sabotage directed by a foreign government and left-wing extremism. We cannot rule out either possibility at this time.”
RWE, the company that operates the power substation, said five coal-fired power plant units with a combined capacity of 4,200 megawatts were taken offline after the incident.
Police said investigators found six launch devices in a nearby cornfield. Chief Detective Michael Esser told reporters that the devices were supposedly designed to use pyrotechnic devices to lift a wire high above the power lines.
The investigation has so far found that “the perpetrators deliberately caused a short circuit by placing conductive material – presumably cables – over the overhead line.”
Security officials from both regions were in contact and closely checking for possible connections between the Brandenburg and Bergheim incidents, Reul said.
Two power plant units were running again by Wednesday afternoon; another one was expected to go back online later on Wednesday. Work is underway to bring the two remaining units back online by the weekend.
German power infrastructure has previously been affected under similar circumstances. Suspected left-wing extremists set fire to high-voltage lines near a power plant in southwest Berlin in January.