Thousands of Berlin households without power, repairs to last until Thursday
By Simone Jacobs
A widespread power outage has affected thousands of households in southwestern Berlin since Saturday morning. Repairs are currently underway, but it will likely take until Thursday, January 8, to restore all connections.
Power cut continues in southwestern Berlin
Residents in the southwestern Berlin neighbourhoods of Nikolassee, Zehlendorf, and Wannsee are still without electricity following a significant power outage. This comes at a time when temperatures are barely rising above freezing.
Around 45.000 households and over 2.000 businesses had no access to electricity on Saturday morning. While 15.000 households were reconnected to the grid by Sunday, a large majority of affected residents are still without power.
Power operator Stromnetz Berlin expects power to be restored to all connections by Thursday. Despite the cold weather, the fire department has warned residents against using gas-powered heating appliances indoors to avoid the risk of gas poisoning.
The power went out after a cable bridge caught fire over the Teltow Canal, near the Lichterfelde power plant. Authorities have reportedly received a letter claiming responsibility for the possible arson, but police are currently investigating its authenticity.
Berlin schools closed and public transport affected
More than a dozen schools in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf district will be closed from Monday to Wednesday, so residents should check to see if their children’s school will be open.
Public transport in Berlin has also been impacted. S-Bahn and regional train services are facing disruptions. The S1 (Oranienburg - Wannsee) is not running and the S7 (Ahrensfelde - Potsdam) is not running between Wannsee and Potsdam Hauptbahnhof.
A state of emergency was declared for the German city on Sunday, in order to enlist the assistance of the German Armed Forces, the police and aid organisations. Emergency shelters and care points have been set up to help keep residents warm and safe, and police are increasing their patrols at night. For more information about where to get assistance, visit the official Berlin city portal.
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training. Read more