World News

German authorities investigate suspected sabotage at two power substations

Separate deliberate disruptions in eastern and western Germany triggered short circuits and took 4,200 megawatts of coal generation offline.

Updated Sep 2, 2026 · 12:18 UTC3 reports

The short version

German officials are investigating two separate power substation incidents on Tuesday in Brandenburg and near Cologne as potential acts of sabotage.
Explosives were discovered at a substation near the Jänschwalde plant, while conductive material placed on lines disrupted operations near Cologne, taking five RWE coal units offline.
Neither incident caused a general power outage, and the disconnected generation units are scheduled to return to service by the weekend.
Investigators have not identified the perpetrators and are examining potential links to foreign state sabotage or domestic left-wing extremism.

Multiple explosive devices were discovered on Tuesday morning at a substation near the Jänschwalde coal-fired power plant in Brandenburg, triggering short circuits without causing a widespread blackout.[ABC News · Associated Press · ABC News]
A deliberate short circuit at the Bergheim power substation near Cologne knocked several power lines out of service on Tuesday evening.[ABC News · Associated Press · ABC News]
According to North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul, the Bergheim short circuit was caused by conductive materials, likely cables, placed across overhead power lines.[ABC News]
Utility operator RWE shut down five coal-fired power units representing 4,200 megawatts of capacity, with all units expected to resume operation by the weekend.[ABC News · Associated Press · ABC News]
Security authorities are probing potential motives including left-wing extremism and foreign-directed hybrid warfare, though officials stated no definitive link between the two sites has been established.[ABC News · Associated Press]

The identity and motives of the perpetrators remain unknown, and authorities have not confirmed whether the two incidents were coordinated.[ABC News · Associated Press]