Explosive devices found at German power substation near Jänschwalde coal plant

Discovery of explosive devices at Turnow-Preilack

German police and bomb disposal units deployed to an electrical substation in Turnow-Preilack on Tuesday morning after finding improvised explosive and incendiary devices. Law enforcement received reports of damage to energy transmission equipment around 8:00 a.m. (06:00 GMT) in the eastern state of Brandenburg, near the German border with Poland. Specialized technical officers secured the perimeter to defuse the unexploded items and gather forensic evidence. Police confirmed that nobody was injured during the incident and stated that nearby residents were not in danger, while emphasizing that investigators are treating the security breach with high seriousness.

Grid damage and power station operations

The Turnow-Preilack substation serves as a key distribution node for the Jänschwalde coal-fired power plant, the largest power-generating facility in Brandenburg with an installed capacity of 1,500 megawatts. Transmission grid operator 50Hertz, which manages electricity distribution across eastern Germany, Berlin, and Hamburg, confirmed that unidentified perpetrators damaged several transmission lines.

as yet unidentified perpetrators are believed to have caused damage to several power lines in 50Hertz's transmission grid

The transmission operator recorded a brief line interruption before returning all damaged power lines to full operation. 50Hertz confirmed that regional electricity supplies remained secure and uninterrupted. Power plant operator LEAG stated that a technical outage occurred in Block B of the Jänschwalde power station on Tuesday, prompting internal checks to establish whether the failure was directly linked to the substation damage. LEAG characterized the event as an attack against the substation.

Disputed accounts of projectile launchers

Reporting from regional newspaper Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung indicated that perpetrators fired homemade rocket-style pyrotechnic devices carrying explosive charges at the substation. Photographs obtained by the outlet depicted homemade launchers allegedly aimed at causing a severe blackout in Block E of the coal plant. Emergency personnel reportedly located and neutralized additional unexploded projectile units on site. Police confirmed the discovery of unconventional explosive and incendiary devices near the lines, but authorities did not confirm the use of rocket launchers. The Brandenburg State Criminal Police Office took charge of the inquiry to identify the perpetrators and establish their motives.

Preceding sabotage incidents in the Berlin region

The investigation in Brandenburg occurs after multiple earlier strikes on energy infrastructure across northeastern Germany. In January, arsonists caused short circuits along high-voltage transmission lines near a power plant southwest of Berlin. That attack disrupted electrical service to approximately 45,000 households and more than 2,200 commercial businesses, as well as local hospitals and nursing facilities. Responsibility for the January sabotage was claimed by Vulkangruppen, an anti-capitalist militant formation. In March 2024, another sabotage action involved an arson attack on a transmission pylon that supplied power to the Tesla manufacturing facility in Grünheide near Berlin, halting production at the car plant for several days.