The prolonged power outage affecting swathes of Berlin, sparked by a catastrophic fire on a cable bridge over the Teltow Canal on Saturday morning, is now projected to last until Thursday, according to the local electricity grid operator. The incident, which erupted at 6:13 AM, has crippled infrastructure, leaving approximately 45,400 households and 2,200 businesses across Nikolassee, Zehlendorf, Wannsee and Lichterfelde without power.
While Stromnetz Berlin GmbH claims to be working diligently to restore supplies, the scale of the damage suggests a far more complex and protracted recovery than initially anticipated. Initial efforts are expected to reinstate power to roughly 10,000 households in Lichterfelde by evening. However, the remaining 35,000 connections face repairs stretching into Thursday afternoon, raising serious concerns about the disruption to daily life and commercial operations. The crisis extends beyond electricity, with the disruption to Fernwärme (district heating) – caused by non-operational pumps – further exacerbating the impact on vulnerable populations.
Berlin’s Senator for Economic Affairs, Franziska Giffey (SPD), has labelled the outage “particularly serious” highlighting its detrimental impact on critical services including nursing homes, hospitals and essential social care facilities. Giffey underscored the severity compared to the Adlershof incident in 2025, signaling a potentially crippling blow to the city’s infrastructure resilience.
The challenging conditions of frozen ground are reportedly impeding repair efforts, compounding the logistical difficulties. The situation is prompting authorities to urge residents to seek shelter with friends and family outside the affected zones. Critics are already questioning the age and maintenance protocols of Berlin’s critical energy infrastructure. Sources within the opposition suggest a lack of investment in preventative measures may have contributed to the disaster and further inquiries are expected to examine the root causes of the failure and identify avenues for enhancing the city’s vulnerability to such extensive disruptions. The incident inevitably casts a shadow over the city’s commitment to climate neutrality and the reliability of its power grid as Berlin faces growing demands for sustainable and secure energy provision.