Explosive devices discovered at substation in South Brandenburg
Homemade explosive devices have been found at a substation near Jänschwalde. The State Criminal Police Office is investigating, and according to the operator, electricity supply remained unaffected.
Attack attempt on Turnow-Preilack substation
Homemade explosive devices have been found at a substation in Spree-Neiße district in South Brandenburg. According to reporting by Süddeutsche Zeitung, federal security authorities confirmed the incident. Power plant operator Leag describes it as an attack on the Turnow-Preilack substation, through which electricity generated at the Jänschwalde lignite-fired power plant is fed into the grid of transmission system operator 50Hertz.
The grid operator 50Hertz stated that the devices resembled commercially available fireworks. "Based on current findings, the attempted damage to property was carried out using self-made projectiles that resemble commercially available fireworks," 50Hertz said. "Additional projectiles that had not yet been launched were found on site."
Brandenburg's Interior Minister Jan Redmann told dpa that emergency personnel had secured a two-digit number of devices for rocket-like projectiles. In only two cases had the perpetrator or perpetrators managed to damage power lines. Police bomb disposal experts were active on site, according to authorities.
Power plant unit fails, investigations underway
Following the incident, a technical failure of Block B of Jänschwalde power plant occurred, according to a Leag spokesperson. Whether there is a connection between the alleged attack and this failure is currently being investigated. According to 50Hertz, general electricity supply was never affected; no persons were harmed.
A spokeswoman for Brandenburg's Economics Ministry confirmed damage to property on several power lines in the transmission network. The State Criminal Police Office has taken over the investigation. Brandenburg police declined to comment on further details for investigative reasons and are currently seeking witnesses.
Brandenburg's Minister President Dietmar Woidke condemned the act and spoke of an "attack attempt". "The concerning high frequency of such incidents shows that we must resolutely protect our infrastructure," said the SPD politician. Emergency personnel and employees on site prevented worse consequences through swift action.
Series of sabotage acts in the region
The Preilack substation, north of Cottbus, distributes electricity generated at Jänschwalde power plant to regional and national grids. According to Leag, the power plant was built between 1976 and 1989 as the last power plant constructed during the German Democratic Republic.
The incident is part of a series of attacks on electricity infrastructure in the region. In January, alleged left-wing extremists set fire to and short-circuited high-voltage power lines near a power plant in south-west Berlin. Around 45,000 households, including hospitals, care homes and businesses, were without electricity for several days. The attack was claimed by the so-called "Vulkangruppen" (Volcano groups), who cited the struggle against capitalism as their motive.
In March 2024, a group set fire to a power pylon that also supplies the Tesla factory in Grünheide, Brandenburg, with electricity. The plant's production halted for several days following the sabotage. Whether the current incident at Turnow-Preilack is connected with similar perpetrators remained initially unclear.
Source: Süddeutsche Zeitung