Power lines damaged in suspected attack at Brandenburg substation

Power Lines Damaged by Suspected Attack at Brandenburg Substation in Germany

Incident Overview and Investigation

Details of the Suspected Attack

BERLIN, Sept 1 (Reuters) – German police are investigating a suspected attack involving an unexploded incendiary device at a power substation on Tuesday in the eastern state of Brandenburg that caused a brief power cut and damaged power lines, officials said.

Importance of the Turnow-Preilack Substation

The Turnow-Preilack substation is one of the region’s most critical high-voltage nodes, connecting Brandenburg’s largest power plant, Jaenschwalde, to the 50Hertz transmission grid.

Police and Operator Response

Police received information about the incident at around 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) and officers were deployed to the substation, a spokesperson said, adding that there was never any danger to the public.

The incident involved “an unconventional explosive and incendiary device that is capable of detonating but did not do so”, police said, without giving further details.

Damage Assessment by 50Hertz

Grid operator 50Hertz said “as yet unidentified perpetrators are believed to have caused damage to several power lines in 50Hertz’s transmission grid”.

There was a brief power cut, but all power lines are now back in operation and the general electricity supply was never affected, the operator added in an emailed statement. 

Nature of the Devices Used

The incident involved homemade projectiles resembling standard fireworks, 50Hertz said later. Projectiles that had not yet been launched were also found at the scene, it said.

Restoration Efforts

A spokeswoman for LEAG, the power plant operator, said a switchgear bay that was still out of service after the attack was expected to be restored over the course of Tuesday.

Context and Reactions

National Security Concerns

Germany has been on high alert in recent weeks due to what officials have called a growing threat from cyber and hybrid attacks.

Political Response

Brandenburg premier Dietmar Woidke condemned the alleged attack on the substation.

“We take attacks on our critical infrastructure very seriously. The alarmingly high frequency of such incidents shows that we must resolutely protect our infrastructure,” he said.

Related Incidents and International Tensions

Germany is set to blame Russia for an attempted drone attack on a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig/Halle airport last month and could prepare new sanctions against Moscow in coordination with allies, two sources said on Tuesday.

Russia has previously dismissed accusations about its possible involvement in the airport incident as a “fabricated provocation” and as “a new wave of anti-Russian hysteria in Germany”.

(Reporting by Friederike Heine, Kirsti Knolle and Markus Wacket; Writing by Linda Pasquini;Editing by Gareth Jones, Miranda Murray and Alison Williams)