Sabotage Reported at German Substation in Bergheim

A substation in the municipality of Rommerskirchen, Germany, was damaged overnight on September 2 in what police are treating as sabotage.

WDR reported the incident.

Energy company RWE said the incident occurred at 8 p.m. on September 1, taking five power units with a combined capacity of 4,200 MW offline.

The company stated that all five units will be back in operation by the following weekend.

According to the investigation, the perpetrators caused a short circuit by stretching conductive materials, likely cables, across the power lines.

Investigators said pyrotechnic launchers were used to propel a piece of wire toward lines connected to the grid, ultimately causing a short circuit at the substation.

Investigators found the launchers in a cornfield near the crime scene.

Senior prosecutor Ulrich Bremer said the devices found are now being examined for DNA traces.

Police and the Essen public prosecutor’s office are continuing their investigation.

North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul said the attack may have been executed either by foreign intelligence services or left-wing extremist groups.

Investigators are also drawing parallels with an incident in Brandenburg on September 1.

On September 1, unidentified individuals damaged the Jänschwalde power plant in the German state of Brandenburg using explosive devices.