Explosive devices damage power lines near German coal plant
Improvised explosive devices were used on Tuesday to target power lines near a coal-fired power plant in Germany, with several electricity lines damaged and supply briefly interrupted, police and a grid operator said. Several makeshift bombs were found around 8am local time at the Preilack substation, which distributes power from the nearby Jaenschwalde plant that runs on lignite and also burns rubbish, a police spokeswoman said. At least one of the devices detonated but others failed to go off,...
Explosive devices have been found at an electrical substation in the eastern German state of Brandenburg, dpa has learned. Police said possible damage to a power line was discovered at around 8am local time on Tuesday at the facility in Turnow-Preilack, about 100km (62 miles) from Berlin. “Evidence is being secured,” a police spokeswoman said. “Bomb disposal experts are on site.” The objects found were described as improvised explosive and incendiary devices.
The Markische Allgemeine regional newspaper had earlier reported that emergency services found several devices designed to launch explosive-laden projectiles and had defused them, citing security and company sources. The newspaper said it had obtained a photograph showing one of the devices, whose exact design was unclear. The substation, located near the coal-fired Janschwalde power plant, was targeted more than once, according to the report, with the apparent aim of causing a large-scale power outage affecting one of the plant’s units.
The Preilack substation distributes electricity generated at the Janschwalde plant both regionally and beyond. In January, suspected left-wing extremists set fire to and short-circuited high-voltage power lines near a power plant in southwestern Berlin. Around 45,000 households and more than 2,200 shops and businesses, as well as hospitals and care homes, were left without electricity for days. The far-left group known as the Volcano Group claimed responsibility for the arson attack, saying its aim was to fight capitalism.
In March 2024, a group set fire to a major electricity pylon that was also crucial to supplying Tesla’s factory in Grunheide, near Berlin. The sabotage forced production at the plant to halt for several days.