Electricity was expected to be restored to southwest Berlin on Wednesday before noon, after having been cut off in tens of thousands of homes and businesses since early Saturday following an arson attack on a major power line.
The Senate Interior Administration told the German Press Agency that the energy grid operator was gradually starting to resupply electricity to the affected areas. Bild had previously reported that electricity should be completely restored in Berlin from 11 am.
"We are working on a resupply today," a spokesman for the Stromnetz Berlin, which operates the power grid in the affected region, told DPA.
An emergency alert was sent by text message to people living in surrounding neighbourhoods. It read: "Power will be restored to the areas affected by the power outage during the course of the day..."
The alert added that until 10:30 am, privately operated emergency power generators must be disconnected from the grid to prevent damage, and that there may be brief power interruptions.
Berlin residents were also asked to avoid using high-power appliances, like washing machines, immediately after power was restored.
45,000 homes affected
After the arson attack on a cable bridge in the district of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, 45,000 households and 2,200 companies were initially without electricity in southwest Berlin on Saturday morning. According to Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU), a total of around 100,000 people were affected by the blackout. Berlin had declared a so-called major damage situation on Sunday.
READ ALSO: Anger in Berlin as arson attack sparks mid-winter blackout
On Monday morning many businesses as well as schools and daycare centres remained closed. By Wednesday, according to the operator, around 19,900 households and 850 commercial businesses were still without electricity.
Thanks to emergency power generators, several supermarkets opened. Mobile phones also had network again in many cases because numerous mobile phone masts were back in operation.
Despite the restored power supply, the schools affected by the outage will remain closed until the end of the week. From Monday, January 12th, classes should take place regularly again, the education administration announced.Â
The Bundeswehr also remains on site at emergency shelters to provide people with warm food if necessary. According to the district, emergency shelters should also remain open for a while.
The power outage was the longest in post-war history in the capital.
The previous longest post-war Berlin blackout occurred just last September, when another arson attack in the southeast of the city cut power to around 50,000 customers for up to about 60 hours.
In this case a left-wing extremist group that calls itself Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group) has published a letter claiming responsibility for the power outage, saying it was targeting "the fossil fuel economy" driving climate change. Berlin police originally called the claim "plausible".
However an official investigation into the act is ongoing and has since been taken over by the Federal Prosecutor's Office in Karlsruhe.Â
READ ALSO:
- How to keep your German home warm when the power goes out
- Just how vulnerable is Germany’s infrastructure to attacks and sabotage?
With reporting by DPA.
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