Overview
- Stromnetz Berlin says two provisional high‑voltage lines are securing supply in the southwest of the city, but full reconstruction of the damaged cable bridge and network will take months.
- Berlin ended its officially declared major‑damage situation after power was restored by midweek to roughly 45,000 affected households and 2,200 businesses, impacting about 100,000 people at the peak.
- The Federal Public Prosecutor in Karlsruhe has taken over the investigation into the suspected arson, which a group calling itself 'Vulkangruppe' claimed in an online communique.
- Police are guarding vulnerable sites and temporary lines, with reports of hundreds of officers assigned and unions criticizing the sustained strain on personnel and calling for alternative protective measures.
- Cities and utilities are urging a national 'Blackout‑Reserve' of mobile power units, the interior ministry points to planned wartime-capacity reserves, and the Beamtenbund warns similar outages could occur in other cities.