Consecutive Attacks on German Power Grid Raise Suspicions of Foreign Involvement

German authorities have launched an investigation after a series of power grid attacks, apparently aimed at causing massive blackouts, occurred on two consecutive days.

According to the daily newspaper Tagesspiegel, an explosion and transmission line failure occurred at around 8:00 p.m. on September 1 (local time) at the Amprion substation in Bergheim, North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany.

RWE, the energy company operating several coal-fired power plants nearby, stated that five facilities were damaged, cutting 4,200 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity from the power grid.

Herbert Reul, Interior Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, said, "An unidentified perpetrator intentionally caused a short circuit," adding that there are suspicions of unconstitutional sabotage.

Earlier that same day, dozens of firecracker-style explosive devices were discovered at the Turnow-Preilack substation in the eastern state of Brandenburg. Some of them exploded before authorities could dismantle them, causing transmission disruptions.

Brandenburg Interior Minister Jan Redmann defined it as sabotage, stating, "The purpose was to introduce conductive materials into high-voltage transmission lines to cause short circuits and power outages."

Minister Redmann noted, "The modus operandi of this incident differs from previously known extreme-left groups, and no organization has yet claimed responsibility," adding, "We cannot rule out the possibility of foreign state involvement."

The German government has been heightening its response level against hybrid tactics by foreign intelligence agencies, having previously blamed Russia for explosive-laden drones that appeared at Leipzig/Halle Airport early last month, leading to retaliatory measures.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.