Attempted attack on Turnow-Preilack substation in Brandenburg

According to the authorities, police defusing agents were at the substation. The police spoke of small, homemade explosive devices. It was initially unclear whether it was a suspected attack and what motive the perpetrator or perpetrators had. According to the network operator, the general power supply was never affected.

Federal security authorities confirmed the case to the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The background to the attack is currently unclear. According to a spokeswoman for the Brandenburg Ministry of Economics, there was damage to several lines in the transmission network. The Brandenburg State Criminal Police Office has taken over the investigation.

The operator speaks of an attack on the substation

The power plant operator Leag is currently talking about an attack on the Turnow-Preilack substation, through which the electricity generated in the Jänschwalde brown coal power plant is fed into the transmission network of the company 50Hertz. As a result, there was a technical failure in Block B of the power plant, a spokesman for Leag said. It is being examined whether there is a connection between the alleged attack and the failure.

In the Preilack substation in the Spree-Neiße district north of Cottbus, the electricity generated in the Jänschwalde power plant is distributed nationally and regionally. According to the electricity supplier Leag, the Jänschwalde power plant was built between 1976 and 1989 as the last new power plant in the GDR.

The network operator 50Hertz confirmed upon request that there had been an “attempt to damage property”. The Märkische Allgemeine (MAZ), citing security and corporate circles, had previously reported that the emergency services had found and defused several devices for rockets containing explosives. The substation was said to have been hit more than once. Accordingly, there was a “short-term line interruption”. However, all lines are now back in operation and the power supply in the area is not affected.

Brandenburg's Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke spoke of an "attempted attack" and condemned the act. “The worryingly high frequency of such incidents shows that we must resolutely protect our infrastructure,” explained the SPD politician. The emergency services on site as well as the employees at the substation and power plant prevented something worse from happening by acting quickly and prudently. No people were injured in the incident.

Several attacks in the greater Berlin area

The incident brings back memories of attacks in recent months. In January, left-wing extremist perpetrators allegedly set fire to and short-circuited power lines near a power plant in southwest Berlin. Around 45,000 households were without power for days, as were hospitals, nursing homes, companies and shops. The left-wing extremist so-called “volcano groups” claimed responsibility for the arson attack, citing the fight against capitalism as their motivation.

In March 2024, a group set fire to a large electricity pylon that was also necessary to supply the Tesla factory in Grünheide near Berlin. Production was stopped for days due to the sabotage.