Steglitz-Zehlendorf - current status
Status: 10.01.2026
On 3 January 2026, a targeted attack on a cable bridge in the Berlin district of Lichterfelde caused a major and prolonged power outage in south-west Berlin. Initially, around 45,000 customers were affected by the power outage.
Thanks to the efforts of our employees and those of our service providers, as well as close cooperation with the Berlin authorities, we were able to restore power within 100 hours. All customers have had power since 7 January 2026.
We are now strengthening the long-term resilience of our distribution network.
Information about the construction project
Preparations for restoring the network to its original condition and the construction work required for this are currently being clarified. As soon as we have new information, we will make it available to you on this page.
Update Saturday, 10 January, 8:45 am: Second line put into operation
Following the restoration of power supply in south-west Berlin on 7 January, we have now also put the second temporary high-voltage line into operation. This provides additional security for the power supply in the affected area. The connection was made as planned without any further power interruptions.
The two temporary lines will remain in operation until the original grid condition has been restored. Planning for this is already underway. However, the actual work will take months to complete. Background: The arson attack caused considerable damage.
Update Wednesday, 7 January, 2:10 pm: Power is back on for everyone
On Wednesday, 7 January, starting at around 11 am, the gradual restoration of regular power supply to the areas affected by the power outage in south-west Berlin was successful.
We have gradually restored power to everyone in south-west Berlin. This was made possible by a temporary power line on the Teltow Canal, which had successfully passed the required operational test.
In the meantime, all connections that were temporarily supplied by emergency power systems (NEA) have been reconnected to the regular power grid. However, the occurrence of temporary power outages cannot be completely ruled out.
Information on the subject of damages can be found on the relevant page compensation.
Note on electric heating systems
As part of the disruption caused by the arson attack, in rare cases the control units for electric heating systems (electric heat pumps, electric night storage heaters) in the affected area may have been damaged and are no longer functional. As a result, your electric heating systems will no longer heat your home.
In such cases, please contact our free of charge fault hotline 0800 211 25 25. We will then take the necessary steps to resolve the problem with the control unit from Stromnetz Berlin.
The repair of the fault in the Stromnetz Berlin control unit is free of charge for you. You will have to bear any costs for the repair of other components of the electric heating system yourself.
Outlook
We are continuing to work on the construction of a second temporary power line in Argentinische Allee. Here, too, we are making great progress with construction and installation work. We still expect to be able to report success here as well after the weekend.
Disturbance situation
There was a major power outage in south-west Berlin. From around 6 a.m. on 3 January 2026, approximately 45,400 households and 2,200 commercial customers in the districts of Nikolassee, Zehlendorf, Wannsee and Lichterfelde were affected.
The cause was a fire on a cable bridge over the Teltow Canal near the Lichterfelde power station, which damaged several cables. The fire was extinguished on the morning of 3 January 2026.
Course of the outage
| Date | Time | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 09.01.2026 | 8:10 pm | Second temporary high-voltage line put into operation |
| 07.01.2026 | ca. 8:30 pm | Restoration of all customers completed |
| 07.01.2026 | 2:10 pm | With a few exceptions, all customers have been resupplied. |
| 07.01.2026 | from 11:00 am | Start of gradual resumption of supply |
| 07.01.2026 | until 3:00 am | Further 2,000 households and 100 businesses are now reconnected |
| 06.01.2026 | until 6:00 pm | Further 2,800 households and 325 businesses are now reconnected |
| 06.01.2026 | until 12:45 pm | Further 2,500 households and 150 businesses are now reconnected |
| 05.01.2026 | until 4:30 pm | Further 2,000 households and 250 businesses are now reconnected |
| 04.01.2026 | until 8:25 pm | Further 5,000 households have been reconnected to the grid |
| 04.01.2026 | ca. 12:20 pm | Resupply of almost all households and commercial customers in the Lichterfelde district. |
| 03./04.01.2026 | until 03:23 am | Resupply of around 7,000 households and 150 commercial customers, particularly in the Lichterfelde district. |
| 03.01.2026 | 05:44 am - 06:26 am | Failure of several lines supplying substations. Approximately 45,400 customers in the districts of Nikolassee, Zehlendorf, Wannsee and Lichterfelde are affected. |
Map of the affected area in Steglitz and Zehlendorf
(Status 03.01.2026, circa 06:30 am)
The colors are for technical reasons and have no further meaning.
In the medium voltage range (10,000 V / 10 kV)
Small construction sites were set up at various locations in Lichterfelde and pits were dug to restore power to most households and businesses in the district. Medium-voltage cables were then cut and reconnected in the pits. This new connection supplied approximately 10,000 households and 300 businesses, the majority of those affected in Lichterfelde. A few similar activities were also carried out in the Zehlendorf sub-district, enabling approximately 4,000 customers to be reconnected.
Emergency power systems
In coordination with the Berlin Fire Brigade, we use emergency power systems in the Zehlendorf districts. These are used to supply electricity to prioritised, critical facilities, such as care homes, and also to a few customers in the immediate vicinity.