A major power outage has left approximately 35,000 households and 1,900 businesses in Berlin without electricity, with restoration of full service not expected until Thursday afternoon. The crisis, attributed to a suspected arson attack by a left-wing extremist group, comes as the German capital experiences sub-zero temperatures and snowy conditions.

The outage began on Saturday after a fire damaged several cables on a bridge over the Teltow Canal near the Lichterfelde power station. Grid operator Stromnetz Berlin confirmed that while some power has been restored to the Lichterfelde district, tens of thousands remain affected across four city districts.

Claim of Responsibility and Official Condemnation
The left-wing extremist group known as The Vulkangruppe (The Volcano Group) reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack in a published letter, stating its actions were a protest against the fossil fuel energy industry and the expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure. Berlin's Interior Affairs Minister Iris Spranger condemned the act in strong terms, labeling it "left-wing terrorism" that deliberately accepted collateral damage to the life and limb of Berlin's residents.

This incident marks the second major suspected arson attack on Berlin's power grid in four months and follows the same group's claimed attack on the power supply to Tesla's gigafactory near Berlin in 2024, which temporarily halted production.

A Critical Infrastructure Challenge
The prolonged outage, expected to last several days, presents a severe challenge to public safety and business continuity during a winter cold snap. It underscores the vulnerability of critical urban infrastructure to targeted attacks and raises urgent questions about security measures for essential utilities. The event is likely to intensify political and security discussions regarding the protection of energy networks from ideologically motivated sabotage.